Nine teams passed on Paul Pierce in the 1998 NBA draft, and if you think he doesn't remember each and every one of them, then you don't know Paul Pierce. The newly inducted Basketball Hall of Famer called out by name -- in order -- the teams with the first nine picks that year and thanked them for allowing him to slip to the Boston Celtics. "I appreciate that. Thank you for passing on me. It added fuel to my fire," Pierce, who had been expected to go as high as No. 2 overall, said in his acceptance speech in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Saturday night. "To this day, I don't understand how I slipped to No. 10. But you know, everything happened for a reason. Going to the Celtics, I'm grateful." read more https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...inducted-basketball-hall-fame-part-class-2021
