The Paul Pierce and Dwyane Wade debate wasn’t really a thing until Pierce brought it up a few years ago, claiming he had a better career than the Miami Heat legend.
That take aged poorly, with Jalen Rose delivering one of the most memorable on-air rebuttals.
You’d think time and backlash might have softened Pierce’s stance, but he hasn’t backed off at all. On a recent podcast, the Boston Celtics Hall of Famer once again insisted he was the better player than Wade.
Paul Pierce says he’s better than Dwyane Wade because he was more versatile and didn’t have the luxury of playing with a lot of Hall of Famers 👀
(🎥 @NFGShow / https://t.co/camRODcCr3) pic.twitter.com/Aj4UaWf7Xj
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 4, 2025
Most fans and analysts still side with Wade, and that part hasn’t changed. But that doesn’t mean Pierce needs to be dismissed. He was a walking bucket for years, carrying some rough Celtics rosters into relevance before Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen arrived.
Pierce’s hypotheticals might not be strong enough to overturn Wade’s resume, but they do come from a real place. He’s clearly committed to reminding people he was closer to Wade’s tier than most fans acknowledge, even if the debate stays one-sided.
