Doc Rivers crashed Kevin Garnett’s Area 21 reunion of the 2008 Boston Celtics to send his well wishes to Paul Pierce and offer him a heartfelt retirement gift.
Doc Rivers got Paul Pierce a wheelchair and his Celtics teammates lost it
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Everyone really seemed to dig Pierce’s new wheelchair, including Pierce himself, who gleefully hopped into the seat and proclaimed:
“You know what came with this wheelchair? A ring came with this wheelchair. So to all you haters — BLAH!”
There’s more significance to the wheelchair than you might think. Though intended simply as a joke about Pierce’s age, his comment about a ring coming with the chair is likely referring to the incredible “wheelchair game” during Game 1 of 2008 finals against the Lakers. Pierce sustained a knee injury in the third quarter that was so severe he had to be carried off the court and put in a wheelchair, then minutes later he returned gingerly from the locker room and returned to the game.
Pierce scored 22 points on the night. Maybe this piece of lore was never intended when Doc gave Pierce a wheelchair, but it’s a neat touch. Pierce also enjoyed sitting in the thing for most of the night.
