Paul Pierce: I Don’t Think Isaiah Thomas Should Get a Video Tribute the Same Night as Me

Isaiah Thomas will be piggybacking off the Celtics’ tribute to Paul Pierce next month and Pierce isn’t too happy.

The Celtics had intended to honor their former point guard when the Cavs came to town on Wednesday but Thomas, still being eased back into action after a hip injury, didn’t play in Boston in the second game of a back-to-back. He requested that the Celtics not have an in-arena tribute that night since he wouldn’t be playing.

The tribute has been rescheduled for Feb. 11, Cleveland’s only other visit to TD Garden this season, general manager Danny Ainge confirmed on Thursday morning. That date, though, was already slated to be Paul Pierce’s jersey retirement. Speaking Thursday afternoon on ESPN’s The Jump, Pierce said he didn’t necessarily agree with the overlap.

Paul Pierce is all for IT getting a tribute video from the Celtics...

Just not on the same night The Truth's jersey gets retired

(via #TheJump) pic.twitter.com/Pd4bN0d9cc
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 4, 2018

Thomas also addressed the issue before the Celtics’ win on Wednesday, saying he doesn’t think his tribute will distract from Pierce.

“That’s Pierce’s night, but the video tribute ain’t the whole night,” Thomas said. “I just wanted my family to be here to see [my tribute] and that’s what it came down to. I wanted to be able to play I wanted my family to experience the love and the appreciation that this city and this organization was going to give me on that night. When my representatives reached out to these guys, they were all for it and they agreed on it. I don’t know why [some people are] so mad about it. I’m not taking nothing from Paul Pierce. He did 15 years here.”