The Boston Celtics have officially announced that Paul Pierce's #34 jersey will be retired after their home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, February 11th. The game is scheduled to tip at 3:30 pm.
Naturally, right after the jersey retirement game was announced ticket prices skyrocketed. As of this writing the cheapest seat at the TD Garden on February 11th will run you $334.99.
Paul Pierce will become the 22nd person to have their jersey retired by the Celtics, and the first since Cedric Maxwell’s No. 31 was retired by Boston on December 15th of 2003.
Pierce signed a one-day contract with the Boston Celtics last month, which allowed him to officially retire as a member of the team that he spent his first 15 NBA seasons with. In announcing the Pierce signing, Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck spoke about the organization's plan to retire the #34.
Per ESPN,
"We're honored that Paul has chosen to retire as a Celtic. He is among the very best Celtics -- a champion on and off the court," Grousbeck said in a release. "We congratulate Paul on a Hall of Fame career, and look forward to seeing his number raised to the rafters of TD Garden."
Pierce added,
"It's an honor to have this opportunity to once again call myself a Boston Celtic," Pierce said in the release. "The organization and city took me in and made me one of their own, and I couldn't imagine ending my career any other way. I'm a Celtic for life."
“The moment I was drafted by the Celtics, I knew I was joining one of the most historic organizations in the NBA,” Pierce said, according to a press release. “For 15 years, I played at the Garden, looking up at the jerseys of some of the most iconic players in the game — Russell, Bird, and Cousy. To now be recognized alongside those names is such an honor. I have always said I would be a Celtic for life, and now it is really coming true.”
Pierce, who was named to 10 All-Star teams and won a championship with Boston in 2008, ranks second all-time in the Celtics organization in points scored (24,021) trailing only John Havlicek.
