Before social media really took off, Paul Pierce had a moment early on his career that would’ve most certainly broke the internet when it was revealed that he had been stabbed some eleven times in the face, back, and neck on Sept. 25, 2000 at the Buzz Club in Boston.
He was left near death with stab wounds just inches away from his heart.
That traumatic event left him down and out and now the Boston Celtics legend is revealing what he dealt with afterwards:
“I was stabbed 11 times,” Pierce tells ESPN. “I felt like I was trapped in a box. I couldn’t go nowhere.
“I battled depression for a year. The only thing that saved me was basketball.”
Weeks after the incident, Pierce stated a manager at Morton’s restaurant had a call waiting for him, with the voice on the other end stating, “I’m going to kill you.”
“So now I’m really paranoid,” Pierce says. “I don’t want to go anywhere. The police sat in the front of my house for months. I was a mess.
“I think that’s the reason I got back on the court so fast. Me sitting at home thinking about [the stabbing] didn’t work. I went to every practice, sat on the sideline for hours, because that’s where I felt safe. I didn’t want those practices to end because then I had to go back out there in this world that really scared me.”
Pierce would soon hire 24-hour-a-day police detail.
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Although the Celtics only won 36 games that season, Pierce still played in all 82 contests, averaging 25.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game during the 2000-01 season.
“I should have opened up earlier than I did,” Pierce admitted. “It was eating me alive. Once I finally started talking to a family member, it helped me.”
“I realized, ‘I should have done this sooner.’ I would tell everyone to get the help they need. My depression was bad — really bad. I never want to feel that way again.”
