Pierce articulates his admiration and respect towards Kobe Bryant

The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have one of the biggest rivalries in sports and it has endured for decades. Both teams have been away from the NBA Finals since 2010. In 2008 these two teams encountered each other in the NBA Finals and Celtics former coach Doc Rivers along with three superstars (Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen) managed to beat the Lakers in six games. Two years later they run it back but the outcome was the opposite. The Lakers, (again) with head coach Phil Jackson, took revenge against the Celtics by beating them 4–3.

Since the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others, Celtics former player Paul Pierce hasn’t stopped talking with respect and admiration for Kobe. He spoke about Kobe again — here is what he said:

‘’I played mad against everybody, but him,” said Pierce. “We always just had a different type of relationship. I think it was more out of respect too. Everybody else, I pretty much couldn’t care less about. It seemed that way, off the court. Just to have the opportunity to match up with him, know him on-and-off the court was special. It made me who I am, pretty much.”