Celtics Paul Pierce gave Jaylen Brown an explanation on what happened during his wheelchair game “Don’t believe all them rumors that I had to go to the bathroom,” Pierce said. Paul Pierce was carried off before going on a wheelchair in Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals. Stan Grossfeld, Globe Staff Photo
At the end of the two-part Showtime basketball interview featuring Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, and Jaylen Brown, Garnett gave the current Celtics stars the opportunity to ask him and Pierce questions.
Jaylen Brown went first, raising his hand with a smile and pointing to Pierce.
“I want to know what happened in the playoffs when you had to get in the wheelchair,” Brown said.
TV cameras captured Pierce being taken to the locker room in a wheelchair during the third quarter of Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals after he fell down following a Kobe Bryant jumper.
On this date 10 years ago, Paul Pierce’s “Wheelchair Game” made its mark on the Celtics-Lakers rivalry. pic.twitter.com/h8jFq7IBeC — ESPN (@espn) June 5, 2018
The pained expression on Pierce’s face while he was in the wheelchair, combined with the fact that Pierce came hopping back out of the tunnel minutes later, led some to speculate that Pierce merely had to take a bathroom break.
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Pierce laughed at Brown’s question and said that he sprained his MCL.
“Don’t believe all them rumors that I had to go to the bathroom,” Pierce said.
Pierce said he wanted to clear things up because of social media narratives.
During the 2019 NBA Finals, Pierce said that he had “a confession to make.”
“I had to go to the bathroom, something went down, I had to go to the bathroom,” Pierce said during the ESPN broadcast.
Pierce explained to Brown that some people thought he had to use the restroom, and joked that he was going to “put hands” on somebody for laughing.
“On who? Garnett asked. “We can go right in the bathroom and get some town business right quick.”
The truth comes out about the wheelchair game 👀
Part 2 of KG & Paul Pierce’s visit to the @Celtics is now available on our YouTube ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/cQ5UWEN0e5 — SHOWTIME Basketball (@shobasketball) March 16, 2023
Pierce said that the Celtics training staff decided to bring out the wheelchair and that it wasn’t his call to make.
“I sprained my MCL, and the doctor said ‘no, no, no, don’t put no weight on it.’ I’m like alright, I’m going to stand up. He’s like don’t put no weight on it. Then they carried me. I didn’t ask for that. I didn’t say go get the wheelchair.”
After testing the knee, Pierce returned to the game and finished with 22 points on 7-10 shooting, helping the Celtics grab a 98-88 victory and the series lead.
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“I stood up, and I was like ‘man, let me see how this feels,” Pierce said, hopping up and down. “Alright, alright. It’s cool, it’s cool. I’m back out there. They didn’t let me put no weight on it, so when I put the weight on it I knew I was cool. I was like alright, I’m good, give me the knee brace because it felt kind of loose.”