Why was Paul Pierce fired from ESPN?

Bewildered Paul Pierce asks why ESPN fired him over 'Entertainment'

Why was Paul Pierce fired from ESPN?

Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce was on the I am Athlete Podcast, where he revisited his firing from ESPN in April 2021. Pierce spoke about several things ranging from what he felt during the incident to the thought process thereafter. What Pierce said this time was something that goes against people’s opinions on this incident. Pierce simply said he felt “I got fired for having some entertainment. What did I do wrong?”

In April 2021, Paul Pierce went live on Instagram and was seen doing “immoral” things. According to Pierce, “I’m playing cards, it’s my boy’s birthday. It’s girls dancing and we blowing some tree, what did I do wrong?” This makes absolute sense if you’re Pierce, but to anyone else, it doesn’t.

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Pierce then added that it was surprising he went live on Instagram that night. The Boston Celtics legend said he usually doesn’t do Instagram live sessions at parties. He eventually went on to direct the conversation to a point where his only justification was that he was having too much fun.

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With all that Pierce said in the Podcast, it felt that he hadn’t yet come to terms with the incident. He is equally as confused now as he was two days after the Instagram live when he was fired.

According to Pierce, he spoke to his seniors at ESPN, who stated that the incident wasn’t taken very well by Disney, ESPN’s parent company. The ESPN seniors also added that they were opening an investigation into the matter. Pierce was enquired by them to provide details on what had happened, to which he said it was “self-explanatory.”  He went on to add that he “did nothing illegal.”

Related: Paul Pierce focuses on the bright side that came from the Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese fiasco for women’s basketball

The reason why ESPN fired Paul Pierce in 2021

Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce

Even though Paul Pierce argues that he rubbed Disney the wrong way, which was the only reason they fired him, that isn’t entirely true. Pierce’s actions might’ve been dubbed as “immoral” by ESPN, but there was a lot more. On his Instagram Live, Pierce had done several things that he continues to downplay in his discussions.

What was clearly visible in the IG Live was Pierce playing cards and smoking marijuana while being surrounded by exotic dancers. Pierce pretended to be in disbelief post this incident but never followed up on the real circumstance back then.

Pierce, one-third of the Boston Big 3, a 10-time all-star with 17 seasons under his name, behaved unprofessionally on a public stream. This in itself was enough reason for ESPN to fire him and do nothing else. While some jokes were made about Pierce being fired on his day off, the 45-year-old still remains in disbelief. He often tries to justify his actions, but the truth lies in the open.

The firing from ESPN didn’t bring an end to Paul Pierce’s sports ventures. The ex-Boston Celtic frequents various podcasts, shows, etc. He worked with Kevin Garnett and others even after being fired from ESPN. Pierce seems to have brought a change in his life and ways when it comes to conducting himself on camera. With history being left behind, we can only hope that he does not get in trouble anymore.

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