Paul Pierce plans to retire as a Celtic

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WALTHAM, Mass. -- When Paul Pierce’s farewell tour concludes at the end of this season, he will have one final act left: finish his career as a Boston Celtic.
 
Pierce, in an interview on SiriusXM NBA Radio with Justin Termine and Eddie Johnson, said he would “love” to conclude his year as a Celtic.
 
There’s little doubt that sometime between the end of this season and the start of the 2017-18 training camp, Pierce will don his jersey number 34 one more time.
 
“I would love to do that,” Pierce said. “I think, you know, I’ll always be remembered as a Celtic. I had all my glory days, all my prime was pretty much as a Boston Celtic so I think I owe the fans and I owe myself that much just to be able to put that uniform on one more time and go out that way (and) say I retired a Boston Celtic.”
 
Celtics head coach Brad Stevens did not have an opportunity to coach Pierce, as his 2013 hiring came just weeks after the Celtics traded Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry to Brooklyn.
 
But Stevens has coached against him and has a tremendous amount of respect for what Pierce has done for the NBA and the Celtics specifically.
 
“Couldn’t be more appreciative of what he’s done for this organization,” Stevens said. “He’s a special Celtic. His number will be in the rafters.”
 
The 6-foot-8 forward, chosen by Boston with the 10th overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft, spent the first 15 of his 18 NBA seasons with the Celtics and ranks among the franchise’s all-time leaders in several categories such as scoring (17,630, second), games played (1,102, third), minutes played (40,360, third), field goals made (7,882, third) while leading the franchise in free throws attempted (7,939), free throws made (6,434) and steals (1,583).

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