Former NBA Finals MVP and 2008 Boston Celtics winner Paul Pierce recently had a conversation with Lance Armstrong on the “Star on Mars” series about quitting his job at ESPN.
After posting a video at a private poker game on social media in April 2021, he was fired from ESPN. Pierce’s ESPN stay was cut short because of the viral video issue, despite his prosperous NBA career and earnings of over $195 million.
Paul Pierce sheds light on viral stripper video
Paul Pierce, the former Boston Celtics star and the subject of the viral video that led to his dismissal from ESPN in 2021, has admitted that he was intoxicated at the time.
When promoting his new Fox reality show “Stars on Mars,” Pierce was candid about his alcoholism. The 45-year-old future NBA Hall of Famer at that time released the controversial video on social media, which featured dancers and drugs, and ESPN promptly removed him from his position as an analyst.
Paul Pierce opens up about infamous strippers video https://t.co/J5GupLqgV9
— TalkBasket (@TalkBasket) July 31, 2023
He stated that there was “a lot of alcohol” involved. “It was a big whole controversy, I mean it wasn’t nothing illegal, but it was just girls … girls shaking their **s.”When asked as to who shared the video on social media Pierce responded “I accidentally did, my dumb ass.” Lance hilariously scolded the hooper, saying, “Bitch, how old are you?!”
Pierce admitted on the show that it was his responsibility. He said that the footage was from a friend’s birthday party where they all played poker and danced the night away. Pierce lost his job, but he’s taking it in stride and using it as a stepping stone to better things.
How much did Paul Pierce earn working for ESPN?
Paul Pierce’s salary as an ESPN analyst was allegedly 1.5 million USD per year, a huge increase from his NBA playing days. However, after he was dismissed, he no longer had access to this reliable source of money. Within 24 hours after his Instagram live video, Pierce supposedly lost $100,000 and had multiple missed calls from ESPN headquarters, as claimed by Tyler Conway on Twitter.
Paul Pierce woke up down $100k and with 12 voicemails from ESPN Human Resources
— Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) April 3, 2021
Pierce seemed unaffected by the unexpected development, insisting that he was “done with them anyway.” He claimed his innocence by pointing out that he was a divorced guy who hadn’t committed any crimes. This incident illustrated the monetary cost and fallout from his offensive social media post.
What is your take on Paul’s comments? Make sure to let us know in the comments section.
