It's the biggest unanswered question in NBA Finals history: Did Paul Pierce really poop his pants? OK, maybe that's not the biggest one, but people definitely still ask the former Celtics star about the infamous moment all the time.
For those unfamiliar with what happened, here's some context: Pierce exited Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals in a wheelchair with what appeared to be a serious knee injury. Fortunately for Boston, he was able to return and lead the Celtics to a 98-88 victory over the Lakers.
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Pierce and the Celtics went on to win the series, giving the Hall of Famer a defining moment and Boston its 17th NBA championship. Then, the conspiracy theories started rolling in.
Members of the NBA Reddit and Twitter communities had speculated for years that Pierce didn't suffer an injury at all. Rather, he simply needed to find the nearest bathroom and clean himself up.
He seemed to lend support to these theories back in 2019 when he addressed the rumors during a pre-Finals edition of ESPN's "NBA Countdown."
"I have a confession to make," Pierce said at the time. "I just had to go to a bathroom."
OH MY GOD PAUL PIERCE JUST ADMITTED TO IT pic.twitter.com/2vaX5q5kzU
— Jordan Heck (@JordanHeckFF) June 6, 2019
It turns out "The Truth" wasn't telling, well, the truth. On the most recent episode of "What Did I Miss?" with Michelle Beadle, Pierce told his former ESPN colleague that he never soiled himself.
"If you poop your pants, does it make sense to sit down and mush it in a wheelchair?" Pierce said. "No, I would walk back there and go straight to the bathroom. Why would I need a wheelchair if I pooped my pants? You don't sit down on your poop, right? It doesn't make sense."
Beadle argued that Pierce could have known the best way to leave the floor without alerting anyone of the situation would be to sit in a wheelchair. That would have allowed him to cover his shorts until he reached the locker room.
"I want it to be that you pooped your pants," Beadle said. "I wouldn't be ashamed. We've all pooped our pants. Period."
"I never pooped my pants after three years old," Pierce replied. "Maybe on the side of the road, but not my pants."
Just another classic Friday news dump.
You can watch Beadle's full interview with Pierce below.
