Boston Celtics
“Paul’s tough as they come. Paul ain’t back down from nobody.”
One NBA debate that has seemingly had legs for decades won’t die down any time soon.
That’s the Paul Pierce versus Dwyane Wade debate, which has taken up room in conversations between basketball fans for much of the 21st century.
Each player’s career could make a solid argument for the “winner” of the discussion, especially since each of them is enshrined as a Basketball Hall of Famer.
Antoine Walker, who played alongside both Pierce and Wade in his career, offered his opinion on the debate on the “All The Smoke” podcast hosted by former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. He made his argument clear in favor of one player.
“I get disappointed when I hear the respect is not there for Paul (Pierce). I hate that,” Walker said, who played with Pierce on the Boston Celtics between 1998-03 and again for 24 games during the 2004-05 season. “But basketball, playing competitive, got game — ain’t many tougher than Paul, bro.”
During Walker’s time on the Celtics, Pierce was named an All-Star four times and cemented himself as one of the best scorers in the league. “The Truth” won his only championship in 2008, had his No. 34 jersey retired by Boston in 2018, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021.
Walker played two seasons with Wade on the Miami Heat from 2005-07. They won the NBA Finals together in the 2005-06 season. Wade was named Finals MVP and a two-time All-Star during Walker’s tenure in Miami.
“We hear this argument — I think it comes from — people got favorites. Dwyane’s a fan-favorite in the world,” Walker said. “He’s from Chicago. I love him to death.”
When looking at Pierce’s entire 19-year career and Wade’s 16-year career, there are plenty of comparisons to make based on numbers and non-statistical categories. Here are some of the statistical comps:
Scoring:
Pierce: 26,397 points (19.7 points per game)
Wade: 23,165 points (22.0 PPG)
Shooting:
Pierce: .445 field goal percentage; .368 3-point percentage
Wade: .480 FG percentage; .293 3-point percentage
All-Star selections:
Pierce: 10
Wade: 13
All-NBA nods:
Pierce: 4
Wade: 8
Championships:
Pierce: 1 (2008)
Wade: 3 (2006, ‘12, ’13)
If you focus on the accolades, Wade takes the cake. But if you look at the scoring volume, Pierce is the “winner.” Former players have taken Pierce’s side when it comes to the clutch gene, too.
The argument for Pierce can also be made that he didn’t have the advantage of playing alongside star players like prime Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James the way Wade did. Pierce had to be “the guy” for the Celtics every night, whereas Wade could lean on his superstar teammates.
Walker detailed a humorous story from when Wade was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023, in which Wade discussed the Pierce versus Wade debate with Walker during a celebration for his enshrinement in their hometown of Chicago.
“I went to pay my respects in Chicago. And guess what conversation he wanted to have? This one. No joke,” Walker said, proving that the debate goes beyond online NBA fan forums like X or Reddit. “We’re celebrating his Hall of Fame and he’s like, ‘Bro, why you ain’t defend me, man? You know we’re from Chicago.’ And I’m like, ‘D, he’s tough.’ I said, ‘Man, Paul’s tough as they come. Paul ain’t back down from nobody.’”
Pierce even defended himself in the argument in 2023 when he claimed he was better than Wade.
“Who’s the better 3-point shooter? Is he a better scorer?” Pierce said. “OK, he averaged more points than me (in his) career. I can shoot the three, mid-range. I can post up, get to the line.”
Pierce eventually clarified his comments and said he wasn’t trying to disrespect Wade or compare each other. Wade later said he was living “rent-free” in Pierce’s head and noted he wasn’t interested in comparing himself to others as a retiree.
Nevertheless, the conversation persists, and Pierce has a supporter in Walker.
“I saw Paul go against everybody. He don’t back down,” Walker said. “Like I said, I seen him put numbers up against everybody. I think the way Paul did it, probably should’ve gave a little bit more respect to D-Wade and just flat out said he’s better than him. But that’s how confident Paul is when it comes to basketball.”
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