Paul Pierce Questions ESPN’s Decision to Fire Him: ‘What Did I Do Wrong?’

Joshua Vinson
Updated ·3 min read
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Former ESPN analyst and NBA champion Paul Pierce gave more insight about being fired by ESPN in 2021 on the “I Am Athlete” podcast.

Pierce was axed from the network after he posted a live video on his Instagram in which he was seen smoking, drinking and partying with dancers. The former Celtic has commented on being fired from ESPN in the past by saying he “wasn’t a good fit” at the network. But during his appearance on the podcast, he gave more details of what happened, what he regrets, and why he didn’t apologize.

“I got fired for what? I got fired for having some entertainment,” Pierce said. “I’m playing cards, [it’s] my boy’s birthday, there’s girls dancing, and we’re blowing some trees. What did I do wrong?”

Pierce said a representative from ESPN called him and said they were doing an investigation and wanted an explanation. He said he told the rep what happened.

“I didn’t do nothing illegal,” Pierce said on the podcast. “But at the end of the day, it’s Disney. So, they have a moral clause, and they said it wasn’t moral.”

Pierce did tell the guys on the podcast he only has one regret about being fired from ESPN which stemmed from his actions that night on his Instagram Live. He said he apologized to his daughter because he embarrassed her.

“The only thing I was mad at about the whole thing – my daughter seeing it,” Pierce said. “Like you don’t want to give off that perception.”

Pierce said his agent reached out to him and asked him to apologize, however the hall of famer said he wasn’t.

“What am I apologizing for?” Pierce asked. “Sorry to what? Like, come on – all those CEOs who own these networks what do you think they doing behind the scenes. And, they probably got more sh— going on.”

At the same time, Pierce reiterated the importance of him apologizing to his daughter. He said being a father who’s a girl dad, it is important to set a better example, regardless if what he did wasn’t illegal.

“That’s my only regret about the whole thing. Okay, did I do anything illegal, no. But at the same time I made a mistake because my kids saw that,” Pierce said.

Pierce added, “I had to really apologize to her, that wasn’t right. You don’t never wanna embarrass yo kids.”

To watch Pierce’s full interview, click here.