Paul Pierce believes he deserves his flowers.
”I was probably the best pure scorer ever in the history of the game,” Pierce proclaimed on FS1’s Speak, in response to LeBron James recently praising Kevin Durant as the “most equipped” scorer in the NBA.
“‘Cause I was pretty equipped when I think about it,” Pierce continued. “I’m just saying, like, I need to be in this conversation.”
While being grilled about his skillset by cohost Keyshawn Johnson, Pierce made sure to mention that he won the 2010 Three-Point Contest, in addition to checking off every other box.
“Shoot…then I must’ve been one of the most equipped,” he said, before providing commentary on his own highlights.
Pierce argued that Durant’s efficiency as a scorer stems from his near 7-foot stature, allowing him to shoot uncontested jumpers over shorter defenders.
“There’s nobody at his height on the perimeter. He changed the way we look at—he pretty much changed the game on the perimeter,” he said of Durant.
“All his matchups, and the way he shoot the ball, and get to the hole, he’s efficient with it, so I can see why LeBron would say that,” Pierce concluded. “But shoot, you gotta put me in that talk when we talk about most equipped scorers now, come on, Bron.”
When Durant appeared on a recent episode of the Mind the Game podcast, James spoke highly of KD’s efficiency and ability as a three-level scorer, who can hit perimeter and mid-range shots, while also finishing at the rim.
“We haven’t had a scorer as equipped as KD in our league,” LeBron said.
"I appreciate that," Durant responded.