Pierce stands by calling himself 'best player in the world' in 2008

Paul Pierce has no regrets about proclaiming himself the greatest basketball player in the world after leading the Boston Celtics to a championship in 2008.

Pierce, who was named NBA Finals MVP that year, delivered the memorable quote in response to a question asking if Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was the world's best player.

"I don't think Kobe is the best player," Pierce said at the time, according to Boston.com. "I'm the best player. There's a line that separates having confidence and being conceited. I don't cross that line, but I have a lot of confidence in myself."

That confidence hasn't wavered, either.

On the premiere episode of his new podcast, "The Truth Lounge," Pierce said he still stands by his comments 16 years later.

"The year I won, I got MVP," Pierce said. "We went to Spain. Remember we went to Spain through the camp? And everybody got all mad because they was like, 'Hey, you just played against Kobe, the best player in the world.' And now what I say? I said, 'Wait, I'm the best player in the world.' ... I thought I was the best player in the world."

Pierce explained that since he'd just defeated Bryant and the Lakers in the Finals, he felt it was fair to call himself the best player at that moment.

"Right here, right now, currently, I'm the best player in the world," he said. "Why wouldn't I believe that? And see, people, the fans wanna get ridicule on that. Why y'all mad at me because my confidence is this? Why y'all mad at me if I put my mindset in that state?"

Pierce averaged 21.8 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.5 rebounds during the 2008 Finals en route to winning his first and only title. Bryant finished the six-game series with averages of 25.7 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.7 rebounds.