When Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce came together as basketball media personalities, fans got to enjoy several humorous exchanges between the former NBA champions who once played together on the Boston Celtics.
This Celtics roster — consisting of Pierce, Garnett, Rajon Rondo, and Ray Allen — cemented its place in league history by defeating Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers to win the 2008 NBA championship. Despite being regarded as one of the league’s best scorers during his time with the Celtics, Pierce never earned an MVP award.
Although Pierce firmly believes he deserved an MVP, his former teammate saw things differently.
Why Kevin Garnett Thinks Paul Pierce Didn’t Win the MVP Award
As already mentioned, the Celtics were one of the earliest superteams, using a talented and experienced core to increase their chances of contending for an NBA championship. That strategy certainly helped the franchise add another title banner to its rafters.
Some longtime fans might say Pierce was the leading scorer and primary offensive option on that Celtics team. During a recent episode of “KG Certified,” Garnett joked with Pierce and claimed that his former teammate’s lack of defensive effort played a significant role in him being passed over for the MVP award.
“I thought P was going to be…To be honest with you, I thought P was going to win MVP at some point. But your a** play no defense though. N****s say something to you, you get mad. That’s when you play D.”
Kevin Garnett says Paul Pierce didn’t play defense
“To be honest I thought you was gonna be MVP at some point, but your ass don’t play no defense… n**** say something to you, you get mad, that’s when you play d.”
(Via @kg_certified)pic.twitter.com/1iJD6GYG1F
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) November 1, 2025
Garnett went on to claim that Pierce had a laid-back, “cruising” attitude when playing defense on the court. These comments make sense given that Pierce is well known for his scoring abilities, while his defensive skills are rarely discussed.
Pierce did not let Garnett’s jokes go unanswered and pointed out that he was a willing and capable defender during his first few years in the league. Garnett countered by emphasizing that Pierce was only a decent defender early in his career and paid it little attention once his offensive talent began to develop.
Defense is a common point of critique for superstars currently dominating the league, such as Luka Dončić. While Pierce may not have been an MVP, it’s important to remember that he won the Finals MVP award for leading the Celtics to victory in the 2008 NBA Finals. Some could argue that his Finals MVP holds as much value, if not more, than a regular-season MVP award.