Paul Pierce becomes 16th player in NBA history to score 26,000 points
Paul Pierce reached another career milestone along his road to the Hall of Fame on Wednesday night, becoming just the 16th player in NBA history to score at least 26,000 points. The 38-year-old Clippers forward reached the mark with a buzzer-beating 3-point shot at the end of the first quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks.
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Pierce finished the game with six points and a career tally of 26,004 points. More than 24,000 of those points came during the first 15 seasons of Pierce’s career when he was a member of the Boston Celtics.
The veteran may be averaging a career-low 4.2 points per game on 31 percent shooting to start his 18th NBA season, but Clippers head coach Doc Rivers hasn’t lost sight of Pierce’s talent.
“Paul is just special,’’ Rivers told reporters after the game. “He frustrated me when I coached against him because I didn’t see the athleticism. It used to drive me crazy. Then when you coach him, you realize he’s not slow. He’s got a great first step and he’s a better athlete than you think. He’s strong as heck. But I think Paul scored most of his points from fundamentals. Every kid should watch his footwork. He’s still beating guys off the dribble and it’s all footwork. It’s amazing.’’
What’s the next milestone up for Pierce? Trying to pass the still active Kevin Garnett on the career point total list. Pierce’s former teammate holds the 15th spot in the all- time standings, but is just 17 points ahead of the Truth.
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