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Note: Updated for Paul Pierce’s 2021 Hall of Fame selection.
In April 2019, in his capacity as an analyst on ESPN’s NBA Countdown and much to the chagrin of his co-hosts, Paul Pierce boldly proclaimed that he had a better NBA career than Dwyane Wade. Reaction from all corners was swift and merciless, as many pundits and fans ridiculed his statements and Heat fans chanted “Paul Pierce sucks!” at a Miami home game. Despite the relatively one-sided response to Pierce’s assertion, let us take a closer look at this head-to-head comparison and analytically and objectively answer the question:
Who was better – Paul Pierce or Dwyane Wade?
The Beginning
Though Pierce was a highly touted college recruit vs. Wade being lightly recruited, both players evolved into All-American collegiate players and became NBA lottery picks and immediate contributors at the professional level.
As a teenager growing up in Inglewood, California, Pierce was a McDonald’s All-American in high school (alongside future NBA teammate Kevin Garnett) and decided to attend blue blood program Kansas to play his college ball. During his freshman year with the Jayhawks, he was a Second Team Freshman All-American, Big Eight Co-Freshman of the Year, and Honorable Mention All-Big Eight Honors. In subsequent seasons, Pierce was Big 12 Conference Tournament MVP as a sophomore and then, during his junior year, was MVP of both the Preseason NIT and Big 12 Conference Tournament, First Team All-Big 12 and AP First Team All-American, and a finalist for both the Wooden and Naismith Awards. He parlayed this collegiate success into being drafted 10th overall in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics; as a rookie, Pierce started immediately for the Celtics and averaged 16.5 points (on 43.9% shooting), 6.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, good for third in Rookie of the Year voting (the honors were won by Tim Duncan).
Meanwhile, despite a troubled upbringing in the Chicago area, Wade also enjoyed a stellar high school career, though was only recruited by three schools (Marquette, Illinois State, and DePaul) due to academic issues. Choosing to attend Marquette, he was academically ineligible as a freshman before leading the Golden Eagles in scoring as a sophomore. During a breakout junior campaign, Wade once again led the team in scoring and was a First Team All-American, while also guiding Marquette to a Conference USA championship and all the way to the Final Four (the school’s first appearance there since winning the 1977 National Championship). As a result, he declared early for the draft and was selected fifth overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat. In a loaded draft class that also included LeBron James (first), Carmelo Anthony (third), and Chris Bosh (fourth), Wade had a strong rookie year, averaging 16.2 points (46.5% shooting), 4.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game to finish third behind James and Anthony for Rookie of the Year.
Career Comparison
For more than a decade each and with their careers largely overlapping, Pierce and Wade were franchise cornerstones for the Celtics and Heat, respectively, racking up spectacular individual accolades and achievements while also reaching the pinnacle of team success.
Building off of his strong rookie season, Pierce teamed with Antoine Walker to form a high-scoring duo for the Celtics. After upping his scoring to 19.5 points per game in his second season, Pierce had the first of seven straight 20+ point-per-game seasons (8x total) in 2000-2001: 25.3 points (45.4% shooting), 6.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. The next season, he would achieve his first All-Star selection on the strength of 26.1 points (on 44.2% shooting), 6.9 rebounds,and 3.2 assists per game, while also earning his first All-NBA selection (Third Team). This marked the beginning of five straight All-Star nods, including another Third Team All-NBA selection in 2002-2003 (25.9 points on 41.6% shooting, a career-high 7.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game). In terms of individual statistics, Pierce averaged a career-high 26.8 points per game (47.1% shooting) in 2005-2006 to go with 6.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.
In 2006-2007, injuries limited Pierce to only 47 games played (he still averaged 25.0 points per game), and the Celtics were one of the worst teams in the NBA. As a result, during the offseason, Boston made two major trades to acquire Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Ray Allen from the then-Seattle SuperSonics (now the Oklahoma City Thunder) to form a “Big Three” with Pierce. Though he had to sacrifice some of his individual numbers, this partnership would also mark the beginning of another five-year All-Star stretch for Pierce; in the trio’s inaugural season together in 2007-2008, Pierce averaged 19.6 points (46.4% shooting), 5.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game to earn both an All-Star selection and another Third Team All-NBA nod. In fact, the 2008-2009 season would mark Pierce’s last season averaging 20+ points per game (20.5 points on 45.7% shooting, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game), which earned him his only career Second Team All-NBA selection. Over the next four seasons with Boston, he remained a highly productive player, averaging 18-19 points, 5-6 rebounds, and 3-4 assists per game, including his last All-Star selection in 2011-2012 at age 35.
On the day of the 2013 NBA Draft, Pierce and Garnett were traded with Jason Terry and D.J. White to the Brooklyn Nets in a blockbuster deal for three future first-round picks (2014, 2016, 2018), Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, Kris Joseph, MarShon Brooks, and Keith Bogans. However, Pierce only stayed with the Nets for one season before signing as a free agent with the Washington Wizards in 2014; again, he only stayed in Washington for one season before going home to the Los Angeles Clippers for two years before retiring after the 2016-2017 season at the age of 39.
As for Wade, he quickly emerged as a superstar in just his second season, averaging 24.1 points on 47.8% shooting (the first of nine straight 20+ point-per-game campaigns), 5.2 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game to earn the first of 12 straight All-Star nods, as well as Third Team All-NBA and All-Defensive Second Team honors. From there, he would only get better each year – Second Team All-NBA (27.2 points on 49.5% shooting, a career-best 5.7 rebounds per game, and 6.7 assists per game) in 2005-2006, followed by another Third Team selection the following season (27.4 points on 49.1% shooting, 4.7 assists, and a career-high 7.5 assists per game) in 2006-2007 despite missing 31 games due to injury.
In an injury-plagued 2007-2008 season, Wade still managed to score 24.6 points per game en route to another All-Star Game. However, the next year, he would bounce back with perhaps his finest individual effort: in 2008-2009, he put up a career-high 30.2 points per game (49.1% shooting) to win his only career scoring title, along with 5.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game to become the first player in NBA history with 2,000 points, 500 assists, 100 steals, and 100 blocks in a season; as a result, he was honored as First Team All-NBA for the first time and once again All-Defensive Second Team. After another First Team All-NBA/Second Team All-Defensive season in 2009-2010 (26.6 points on 47.6% shooting, 4.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists per game), big changes came to Miami – in the offseason the Heat formed a new “Big Three” by signing LeBron James from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chris Bosh from the Raptors to challenge the Celtics’ “Big Three”.
Like Pierce, Wade would sacrifice some of his individual numbers for team success – after averaging 25.5 points per game in 2010-2011 and again earning Second Team All-NBA honors, he never scored 25+ points per game again, though continued to play at an All-Star level and was again named Third Team All-NBA in 2012-2013. Post the 2013-2014 season, LeBron returned to Cleveland, though Bosh remained and Wade continued to lead the team in scoring, including 21.5 points per game (47.0% shooting) in 2014-2015.
After spending his entire career with Miami, Wade became a free agent in 2016 and joined his hometown Chicago Bulls, though only spent one season in the Windy City before being bought out and rejoining LeBron on the Cavaliers. However, he played mostly a bench role for Cleveland and at the 2018 trade deadline, was sent back to Miami for a protected 2024 second-round pick. In his final one-and-a-half seasons with the Heat, Wade played an elder statesman role, though was still an effective player; in his final season, he was selected as a special All-Star along with Dirk Nowitzki before retiring after the 2018-2019 season at age 37.
Overall, Pierce had the longer career by three years, but in many respects, Wade accomplished more in his time in the NBA. From a per-game statistical perspective, Wade was the more dangerous (and efficient) shooter and scorer (22.0 vs. 19.7 points per game) and playmaker (5.4 vs. 3.5 assists per game), though as would be expected, Pierce averaged more rebounds (5.6 vs. 4.7). This also translated into more awards and accolades for Wade – he had more All-Star appearances (13x vs. 10x), All-NBA selections (8x vs. 4x), and was by far the more accomplished defensive player, both in terms of numbers (steals and blocks) and All-Defensive nods (3x vs. none). Interestingly, the advanced metrics tell a mixed story – as one would expect from the above, Wade has a significant edge in Player Efficiency Rating (PER), but Pierce has a sizable lead in Win-Shares, no doubt helped by playing in nearly 300 more games. Regardless of how you feel about either player, both Pierce and Wade are Hall of Famers, with Pierce selected in 2021 and Wade certain to be chosen once he is eligible.
Regular Season Statistics
| Paul Pierce | Player | Dwyane Wade |
| 19 (1998-2017) | Seasons | 16 (2003-2019) |
| 1,343 | Games Played | 1,054 |
| 19.7 | Points | 22.0 |
| 5.6 | Rebounds | 4.7 |
| 3.5 | Assists | 5.4 |
| 44.5% | Field Goal % | 48.0% |
| 80.6% | Free Throw % | 76.5% |
| 19.7 | PER | 23.5 |
| 150.0 | Win Shares | 120.7 |
| 10x | All-Star Games | 13x |
| 4x | All-NBA | 8x |
| – | MVP | – |
| 1x | NBA Titles | 3x |
| 1x | NBA Finals MVP | 1x |
| All-Rookie | Other Awards | 3x All-Defensive, All-Rookie |
| 2021 | Hall of Fame Induction | – |
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
Throughout their long careers, the playoffs were essentially an annual rite of passage for both Pierce and Wade; despite a number of trials and tribulations, each player was able to lead his team to the promised land and earned the coveted Finals MVP award along the way.
During his 14 career playoff appearances, Pierce’s highest scoring postseason came in 2002-2003, when he averaged 27.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game, but the Celtics were swept by Jason Kidd and the New Jersey Nets in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Later, during the first season of the Big Three in 2007-2008, the Celtics triumphed over the Los Angeles Lakers in six games to capture their first NBA title since the Larry Bird-led teams of the 1980s; despite having to be carried off the court into a wheelchair in Game 1, Pierce paced the Celtics with 21.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game during the series to win Finals MVP. Two years later, the teams would meet again in the Finals, but the Lakers would get revenge in seven games – Pierce was outplayed by Kobe Bryant this time, putting up averages of 18.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game.
Similarly, Wade made 13 postseason appearances during his career, though came away with three NBA titles. In the 2006 Finals, after the Heat lost the first two games to Dirk and the Dallas Mavericks, a 24-year-old Wade propelled Miami to four straight wins to take home the championship, earning Finals MVP honors on the strength of 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. Half a decade later, with new teammates LeBron and Bosh, Wade and the Heat would meet the Mavericks in a rematch; however, this time, the favored Heat fell in six games, though Wade led the team with 26.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. The Big Three would bounce back with back-to-back titles in 2012 (a five-game victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder) and 2013 (a seven-game triumph over Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs), though Wade played more the role of Robin to LeBron’s Batman, averaging 22.6 and 19.6 points per game, respectively, in the Finals.
On the international stage, Pierce had limited experience, playing at the 2002 World Championships; meanwhile, after being part of disappointing teams that only won bronze at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and the 2006 World Cup, Wade was a member of the “Redeem Team” that took home gold at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Playoff Statistics
| Paul Pierce | Player | Dwyane Wade |
| 170 | Games Played | 177 |
| 18.7 | Points | 22.3 |
| 5.8 | Rebounds | 5.2 |
| 3.4 | Assists | 4.9 |
| 42.3% | Field Goal % | 47.4% |
| 83.0% | Free Throw % | 78.0% |
| 17.2 | PER | 22.4 |
| 16.3 | Win Shares | 21.6 |
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; as evidenced by their nomadic final NBA seasons, even great players like Pierce and Wade cannot escape the wrath of Father Time. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a “decade of dominance.” The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFL’s All-Decade teams), though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years.
Decade of Dominance
| Paul Pierce | Player | Dwyane Wade |
| 2000-2010 | Decade of Dominance | 2004-2014 |
| 763 | Games Played | 658 |
| 23.2 | Points | 25.1 |
| 6.2 | Rebounds | 5.1 |
| 4.0 | Assists | 6.1 |
| 44.5% | Field Goal % | 49.4% |
| 80.5% | Free Throw % | 76.6% |
| 20.9 | PER | 25.9 |
| 99.6 | Win Shares | 100.8 |
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
In normalizing across their respective decades of dominance, Pierce still has a nearly 100-game lead in games played, an indication of Wade’s relative injury proneness. Nevertheless, the same per-game statistical comparisons are valid and the main difference is that in terms of Win-Shares, the two players are essentially equal despite the disparity of games played.
My Thoughts
In the aftermath of Pierce’s comments, save for a minority (such as Danny Ainge), most basketball fans and pundits were pretty clear in their assessment of Paul Pierce vs. Dwyane Wade, i.e. Pierce’s claims were ludicrous. While in some cases there is merit to being a contrarian, for this particular head-to-head comparison, I have to go with the majority (sorry Paul) – though Pierce had the benefit of being a more durable player and is certainly a basketball great in his own right, Wade was a dynamic player on both ends of the court whose greatness is reflected in both his numbers and his accomplishments; from a legacy perspective, Wade elevated the Heat franchise to previously unknown heights and will go down as one of the top five shooting guards in NBA history.
Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is:
Dwyane Wade
As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Further Reading
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