Paul Pierce indeed shares a special connection with Boston, given his 15 years of service to the Celtics. That said, there had been several ups and downs during the course, most notably the stabbing incident that occurred in 2000 at the Buzz Club located in the Boston Theatre District.
It was a big moment for Pierce, beginning his NBA journey with a storied franchise like the Celtics in 1998. As his career began to take shape, a tragic occurrence took place in Boston that almost took his life. Paul was stabbed 11 times and had a bottle smashed over his head.
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The accident not only left a physical but also a mental scar on him. Fortunately, timely medical intervention saved him. Pierce did not miss a single game that season. During a 2008 Q&A session, the Celtics veteran revealed he didn’t listen to his coach urging him to be careful post-surgery.
“Rick Pitino didn’t want me on the court for at least two more weeks. I had a protective body vest, still had some soreness. During an exhibition game, I took some charges. He said, ‘What the hell are you doing taking charges?’ It’s hard for me, that’s how I play. When I’m on the court, my instincts take over,” said The Truth, who even had to undergo a lung surgery to repair the damage.
The sequence of events
On September 25, 2000, Pierce visited the Buzz late-night dance club in Boston. He was having a conversation with a woman when things escalated, with her brother getting involved. Next thing, the Celtics star was stabbed multiple times across the neck, chest and back.
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Pierce was also hit on the head with a bottle. He was then rushed to the Tufts-New England Medical Center, where he received proper medical aid. The three men in connection with the incident were arrested, with two of them convicted after a three-week trial in 2002.
Left traumatized by the incident, Pierce admitted to dealing with depression and feeling terrified when attending large gatherings. His PTSD also led to an addiction to painkillers. Despite all the trauma, The Truth had no malice against the city of Boston, bringing them a championship in 2008 as well.
100 percent attendance during the 2000-01 season
A month or so into his stabbing incident, Pierce was already back on the court, doing his drills and playing exhibition games. Playing all 82 games in the 2000-01 season, he averaged 25.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals on 45 percent shooting from the field.
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Unfortunately, Boston failed to make the playoffs, finishing as the ninth seed with a 36-46 record. On the upside, it was an excellent year for The Truth, who led the Cs in total points (2071) and played the second most minutes (3124) on the team.
In what was only his third season in the league and just after the brutal attack on him at the club, Pierce demonstrated complete resilience and grit. All he needed was a protective body vest to bounce back from the tragedy.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 26, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.