Skip to content

Pierce playing 1 more season to help 'super team' Clippers win title

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Paul Pierce announced Monday that 2016-17 will mark his final NBA season.

In his video for The Players' Tribune, he talked about having "one more opportunity on a great team" in the Los Angeles Clippers, who have "all the pieces" to win a championship.

The 38-year-old swingman elaborated on that later Monday, calling his Clippers one of the NBA's super teams.

"We're a super team, Golden State is a super team. And, as Derrick Rose said, the Knicks are a super team. So there's at least three," he told reporters during his media day presser.

The Warriors, who won 73 games before adding superstar Kevin Durant this summer, easily fall under that category. The Knicks, however, are far less proven, having revamped their roster over the past few months.

Meanwhile, Pierce considers Los Angeles a super team because his teammates Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan have all been All-NBA first-team members over the past few campaigns.

It's worth noting, though, that despite featuring a core of that trio since 2011-12, the Clippers have yet to advance past the second round of the playoffs.

A senseless injury to Griffin, compounded by Paul breaking his right hand in the postseason, saw the team bow out in the opening round last year.

Related - Griffin pens apology to fans for fight last season: 'I messed up'

Still, their regular-season success - including at least 50 wins for four straight seasons - suggests they could be onto something. And Pierce believes, based on the current roster (including himself), this could be the year.

"My main reason for coming back was this group, I think this group is talented enough to win a championship," explained the 10-time All-Star, who still felt good during his offseason workouts. "I want to help them get over the hump."

He's hoping to collect one more ring to go along with the one he won in Boston in 2008 before the curtain goes down on his 18-year Hall of Fame career.

"I wanted one more shot to win a championship with this group and for the Los Angeles Clippers," he said. "That would be monumental."

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox