It's been a week of goodbyes in the NBA, as Paul Pierce has followed Kevin Garnett's retirement announcement by declaring the 2016-2017 season to be his last in the NBA. Pierce will play his 19th and final season for Doc Rivers' Los Angeles Clippers, although Doc has stated that he will waive Pierce before he retires so he can sign a one-day deal with the Celtics and retire.
This is it, my final season. It’s time to move on from the game of basketball. Just like any difficult decision, I think you’ve got to be at peace with yourself. I’m at peace with retiring, but I’ve got one more ride left. One more season. One more opportunity. With the Clippers, in the city where I grew up, I feel like I have that opportunity on a great team. We’re hungry. We want to win a championship. After 18 NBA years, it’s hard to believe I’ll be playing in each arena for the last time. So I’m going to enjoy every practice, every bus ride, every team dinner, every time running out through the tunnel. I’m going to do my part to give us a shot at the ultimate goal. - Paul Pierce
Pierce will head off into the sunset as one of the greatest scorers of his generation, who has a 20.0 career points per game average entering his final season.