🏀 Pierce Named Nominee for Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas great Paul Pierce was officially named a nominee for the 2021 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class on Tuesday.
Pierce, a standout for the Jayhawks from 1995-98, was among a small group of first-time nominees announced by the Hall. The class will be announced during the 2021 Final Four in early April.
Pierce has a chance to join two Hall of Fames in 2021. Last month, he was named an inductee to the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, and will be enshrined in November, 2021 in Kansas City.
Following his All-American career at Kansas, Pierce was drafted 10th overall by the Boston Celtics in the 1998 NBA Draft. He played 19 seasons in the NBA – 15 with the Celtics – and went to build an eye-popping resume that included 10 NBA All-Star Game appearances, four All-NBA selections, an NBA Finals MVP honor (2008) and an NBA Championship in 2008.
He scored 26,937 points as a pro and ranks 15th all-time on the NBA’s scoring list, and is second on the Celtics’ all-time scoring list behind John Havlicek.
Pierce was one of many first-time nominees named on Tuesday. The list also included Doug Collins, Michael Cooper, Lauren Jackson, Howard Garfinkel, Lou Henson, Val Ackerman and Yolanda Griffith, among others. Former Kansas women’s coach Marian Washington was included in the women’s committee nominations category. The 2021 class will officially be enshrined in September, 2021.
As a Jayhawk, Pierce was a 1998 Consensus All-America First Team selection. In just three seasons at Kansas, Pierce ranks 10th on the KU career scoring list with 1,768 points and also ranks in the top 20 in rebounds and steals. He was most outstanding player in both the 1997 and 1998 Big 12 Tournaments and his jersey was officially retired from KU in during the 2003 season.
