The 2021 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame selection was cut from the Inglewood HS varsity team his freshman and sophomore years, before becoming a star player. He averaged 27 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists a game as a senior making the 1995 McDonald’s All-American team. In 2012 he was selected as one of the 35 greatest McDonald’s All-Americans of all-time, the only one that was Southern California based. He had a wonderful college career at Kansas, and was a Freshman All-American by ‘Basketball Weekly’ and Big-8 Co-Freshman of the Year. The 6-7 Pierce won Big-12 Conference Tournament MVP honors the next two years. He was the pre-season NIT MVP.

As a junior he was first team All-American and Wooden and Naismith finalist. He turned pro after his junior year and was the 1998 first round #10 overall pick by the Boston Celtics. He led Boston to the 2008 NBA title, beating the Lakers. and was the NBA Finals MVP averaging 22 points per game. Pierce recorded 26,397 points, 7,527 rebounds, and 4,708 assists in 19 seasons, including playing his final two years with the Los Angeles Clippers. Known as ‘The Truth’, Pierce was a 10-time NBA all-star. He retired after the 2017 season. He was selected for the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.