Why did ESPN NBA fire Paul Pierce? Paul Pierce IG video goes viral

Paul Pierce's career with ESPN NBA seems to have come to an unceremonious end. The Boston Celtics legend was recently live on Instagram, following which, his live blew up due to its contents. A few hours, reports confirmed that ESPN has fired him due to the Paul Pierce video controversy. Here is more on - Why did ESPN NBA fire Paul Pierce?

Why did ESPN NBA fire Paul Pierce? Paul Pierce video controversy

ESPN has officially parted ways with Pierce on Monday (Tuesday IST). The NBA analyst went live on Instagram on Friday (Saturday IST), after which he was fired. The news was reported by Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy. In the Paul Pierce Instagram live, he was seen smoking, drinking and playing with his friends along with dancers. 

The NBA icon had worked with ESPN for years, joining them after he retired following the 2016-17 season. Since then, he has been a regular on shows and sections NBA Countdown, The Jump and more content the network has offered. The video and photos from his live were shared on social media with many people pointing out why they feel the content was inappropriate. Some fans believed the whole situation was funny, and Pierce ended up throwing his career away because of a live with less than 500 viewers. 

The Paul Pierce ESPN video: Why did ESPN fire Paul Pierce? 

Pierce, however, did not appear to be too bothered on his social media accounts. He posted on his Twitter and Instagram, writing: "Big Things coming soon stay tuned make sure u smile". He even added a "smile" hashtag on the video. 

Pierce, famous for his time with the Celtics, played from 1998 to 2017. The 10-time All-Star led the Celtics to their 2008 title, even winning the Finals MVP honour. During his successful 15-year career, he averaged 19.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists. While he was with the Celtics for most time, he played with the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers.

(Image credits: Paul Pierce Instagram)