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Dwyane Wade has one of the most decorated resumes among recent NBA greats. He played a vital role in Miami Heat‘s three championship-winning sides and even won a Finals MVP in 2006. However, not everyone believes he would have had as much success if not for some great teammates. Former Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce made a rather interesting claim recently. Pierce had to take back his words, though, as he received massive backlash over the disrespect he showed towards the Heat legend.

Pierce was the main man in the Boston Celtics’ 2008 NBA Championship run. He led his team to victory against the formidable Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. Nonetheless, the Hall of Famer had to go through the wrath of many as he made some controversial statements regarding his former rival.

Paul Pierce clears the air after backlash

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Paul Pierce was a heavily trending entity over the past week. He made an appearance on a podcast where he was talking about his life and career. He had some rather interesting insights to share about Dwyane Wade and his career. Pierce said, “My skills went unappreciated because I didn?t get to play with a lot of great players.” He was pointing toward the fact that Wade played with some legendary names throughout the course of his career while he didn’t. He felt unappreciated by the basketball world for that reason.

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He faced some heavy backlash for his words toward Wade. Miami icon Udonis Haslem clapped back and showed his support for the Flash. Pierce made it clear in a recent tweet that he meant no disrespect towards Wade and he was just giving his two cents.

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He wrote, “I never compared myself to Dwayne wade I was ask a question how would u answer if u was me I would never disrespect him he is an all time great all I?m saying is the narrative surrounding me would be different if I was lucky enough to play with all timers earlier in my career… this not about me comparing myself to him it?s just Goat players out there where the narrative would be different if given same type of teammates… d wade much respect that?s not what I?m on.”

This was a rather intriguing situation the 2008 champion got himself entangled in. Let’s have a look at some career stats of Pierce and Wade for a better understanding.

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Dwyane Wade vs Paul Pierce

Dwyane Wade scored a massive 23,165 points throughout the course of his career, whereas Pierce, being a natural scorer, was able to get 26,397 points. Pierce, over the course of his career, averaged 19.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. Dwyane Wade averaged 22 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. The major difference comes in trophies and recognition.

While both of them have been named the Finals MVP once, Wade has two more rings than him. Wade also has 3 more All-Star appearances and 4 more All-NBA selections. Wade has also been the scoring champ, an All-Star Game MVP, and 3x All-Defensive Second Team. It is clear to see who has the more accolades, as Pierce himself admitted.

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But would it have been different if Pierce had played with prime LeBron James? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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