When was Paul Pierce stabbed? Revisiting key moment in Boston Celtics legend's career
Paul Pierce had an illustrious basketball career. A 10-time All-Star, NBA champion, and Finals MVP in 2008, the legendary Boston Celtics guard/forward accomplished everything during his 19 years in the league and became a Hall of Famer in 2021. However, none of that would have been possible if he hadn't survived a lung surgery in 2000.
Pierce came very close to death on September 25, 2000, when he got into a fight with a stranger inside the Buzz Club in Boston. He got stabbed 11 times in his face, neck, and body and had a bottle smashed on his head.
Pierce was carried to a medical facility in Boston immediately after the stabbing and had surgery that saved his life. He recovered quickly and didn't miss a game in the 2000/01 season.
"It was a shock. I didn't realize how badly hurt I was until after the incident, and the doctors told me what was going on, what happened to me. I didn't realize how much my life was in danger until after it was all over with," Paul Pierce said, via David Aldridge of ESPN.
Paul Pierce explains how he dealt with mental health issues after stabbing
Getting over the incident wasn't an easy procedure for Paul Pierce. "The Truth" revealed that he had to deal with mental health issues, which took him a lot of time to overcome.
"I felt like I was trapped in a box. I couldn't go nowhere. I battled depression for a year. The only thing that saved me was basketball. I think that's the reason I got back on the court so fast. Me sitting at home thinking about [the stabbing] didn't work," Pierce told Jackie MacMullan of ESPN, via CBS News.
"I went to every practice, sat on the sideline for hours, because that's where I felt safe. I didn't want those practices to end because then I had to go back out there in this world that really scared me. If I got in a crowded place, I'd start shaking inside. It took me years to get over that. If I was walking and someone bumped into me or rubbed against me, I'd freak out," he added.
The Hall of Famer also added that basketball saved him from mental health issues, along with his decision to openly address his problems and find a way to solve them.
“My stabbing incident really motivated me to be on the court. I wanted to just be on the court, keep my mind off it. It really helped me lock in. Some things you go through in life really help you lock in, to do what you really need to do," Paul Pierce said, via New York Post.
"Me going through that incident, it was just like, man, I really need to focus on basketball. I shouldn’t really be in the streets or chasing girls or going to the club. It’s like, I really just need to zero back in on basketball. And that took up my whole life at that point from there on out," he added.
After a near-death experience, Pierce returned and had a breakout year with the Celtics, posting averages of 25.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.1 apg, and 1.7 spg.