What teams does Paul Pierce root for?
Paul Pierce has three teams attached to him, one for each of three leagues. In college basketball it is the Kansas Jayhawks, where he played from 1995 to 1998. In baseball it is the Los Angeles Dodgers, whom he has followed since childhood. In football it is the New England Patriots, though that one rests on a background tie and statements about the Boston years rather than a plain declaration. Two of the three were still current at the last point they were documented, and none has a documented ending.
Does Paul Pierce like the Kansas Jayhawks?
Yes, and he has said so in his own words. Kansas is his alma mater, and the fandom runs from his arrival in 1995 through at least March 2015. In November 2002, KUsports.com reported his remarks to the Boston Globe about a Kansas opponent, the Crusaders: "They're going to wish they were at chapel," Pierce said. The remark reads as a Kansas alum talking up his old school, and the relationship is best described as alma mater pride. He was still tied to the team as of a 2015 bracket.
What team did Paul Pierce root for growing up?
The Dodgers. Pierce was born in Oakland, California, on October 13, 1977, attended Inglewood High School in Inglewood, California, and the baseball team he names from childhood is the Los Angeles Dodgers. In July 2015, shortly after he joined the Los Angeles Clippers, the team's site on NBA.com carried his words: "I grew up watching the Dodgers." Because the statement came through the Clippers' own coverage rather than an interview he gave on his own platform, the fandom is classed as reported. It was described as something he followed throughout the years, as of that month.
For timing, the Dodgers won the World Series in 1988, the year Pierce turned 11. That is a date, not an explanation of how he came to follow the team. Another player reported as a Dodgers fan is Rui Hachimura.
What is Paul Pierce's favorite NFL team?
The New England Patriots, with a caveat about how it is documented. Pierce played for the Boston Celtics from 1998 to 2013, and the Patriots tie dates to those Boston years. He never gave a flat statement of fandom, but the surrounding coverage is consistent. CBS Boston wrote in January 2017 about "Pierce's favorite team, the New England Patriots," playing for their fifth championship. ABC7 Los Angeles reported in February 2017 that he "arrived at TD Garden in New England Patriots gear."
His own words came in 2019, and they attach a condition to the loyalty. NESN quoted him on June 3, 2019: "When Brady retires is when I retire and go to the Rams." He had made the same point in May 2019, saying he would switch to the Rams when Brady retires or goes. Tom Brady left New England in March 2020 and retired on February 1, 2023, and no later statement from Pierce about the Patriots or the Rams turned up. So the tie was current as of May 2019, and what came after is unknown.
Other players tied to the Patriots include Caitlin Clark and Shabazz Napier (both reported) and Cooper Flagg, who has said he grew up a fan.
How do his teams line up with where he was born, raised and played?
Partly. Pierce was born in Oakland and went to high school in Inglewood, and the Dodgers are the Los Angeles baseball team he says he grew up watching. His Clippers years, 2015 to 2017, put him in Los Angeles as a player, and the Dodgers statement came the month after that move. Kansas lines up with his college years, and the Patriots line up with his time in Boston. The Patriots play in Foxborough rather than Boston, but the coverage places the fandom in his Celtics years.
Questions people ask
What is Paul Pierce's favorite college team?
The Kansas Jayhawks, where he played from 1995 to 1998. He has expressed alma mater pride in his own words, including remarks reported by KUsports.com in 2002.
What is Paul Pierce's favorite MLB team?
The Los Angeles Dodgers. The Clippers' team site on NBA.com carried his words in July 2015: "I grew up watching the Dodgers."
Does Paul Pierce like the Los Angeles Dodgers?
Reportedly, yes. The LA Clippers site on NBA.com reported in 2015 that he has followed the team since childhood, and the Dodgers won the World Series in 1988, when he was 11.
Does Paul Pierce like the New England Patriots?
He has a documented tie to them from his Boston years, and outlets in 2017 called them his favorite team. In 2019 he said he would switch to the Rams when Tom Brady retires, and nothing later has turned up.