Paul Pierce Throws Major Shade at Lakers Legend Kobe Bryant

Feb 09, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics small forward Paul Pierce (34) defends in the first half against Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers had a heated rivalry throughout their storied history, with both coasts dominating their respective conferences.

The Los Angeles Lakers made three consecutive Finals appearances from 2007-08 to 2009-10 — winning two of them — and held a firm grip on first place in the West for those three seasons. The Celtics had a similar run, winning the NBA Finals in 2008 and making another appearance two years later while remaining towards the top of the food chain for several years following.

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Kobe Bryant led the Lakers through those years, winning the only MVP award of his career in 2007-08 and finishing within the top three during the other two seasons. The Celtics had a number of elite players during the same years, one of whom was Paul Pierce.

Pierce, while not quite at the level of Bryant, still managed 10 All-Star appearances throughout his career and placed top 10 in MVP voting in 2008-09.

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The former Celtic spoke about the Hall of Famer on the No Fouls Given show, saying Bryant was never the face of the league despite his dominance throughout the 2000s.

"Kobe was never just, like, the face of the league," Pierce said. "It was Jordan, then, think about it, Kobe was young when [Michael Jordan] retired. You could probably say Shaq or something like that. Or like, even Iverson for a year or two."

Paul Pierce says Kobe Bryant was never the face of the NBA 👀😳

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Bryant won five championships throughout his career, three from 2000 to 2002 and two in 2009 and 2010. Despite his long list of accolades, Pierce still has a point. Bryant was not the focal point of the Lakers team, which won three straight titles, with Shaquille O'Neal winning Finals MVP in each of the three championships.

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By the time he won his final two championships with the Lakers, current Laker LeBron James had taken over the league, winning consecutive MVPs in the seasons Bryant won a title.

While Pierce's claim seems outrageous, Bryant's position between the eras of Jordan and James is hugely detrimental to his case.

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