Paul Pierce vs Dwyane Wade: Who had the better NBA career?

Paul Pierce vs Dwyane Wade: Who had the better NBA career?

Claudia Kogi
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:08 PM

In April 2019, there was a heated debate on who the better NBA player was and who had a better career in a Paul Pierce vs Dwyane Wade head-to-head contest. Yes! The same Dwyane Wade, renowned for being one of the top 3 shooting guards of all time. In this article, you will find the main reason that resulted in the Paul Pierce vs Dwyane Wade beef, including other details about the two GOATS.

Paul Pierce vs Dwyane Wade
Paul Pierce vs Dwyane Wade: Who had a better NBA career? Photo: (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

While many might wonder where the beef between these two legends originated from, Paul Pierce once boldly claimed that his NBA career was, in fact, better compared to Dwyane's. His claims ruffled some feathers, and Dwyane was not ready to accept. Have a look at this article and find more information about the beef these two legends have.

Paul Pierce's vs Dwyane Wade's career stats

Wade received less attention from colleges than Pierce did. Yet, both players eventually developed into All-American collegiate players, were selected in the NBA lottery picks, and started making an impact right away at the professional level.

Pierce and Wade were the Celtics and Heat's franchise cornerstones for more than a decade each, respectively, during which time their careers largely overlapped. During this time, they amassed incredible individual honours and accomplishments while leading their teams to their most successful seasons.

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Their physical similarities have an impact on playing techniques. They each attack the rim with precision, but they have distinct objectives. Their dunks might overwhelm you, and their acrobatic finishes can make you halt in your tracks. In addition, they can score from any point on the floor and may attack their defender from various angles.

Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce's vs Dwayne Wade's age
Pierce attends Toast To Black Hollywood Celebration at The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills on 24th June 2022, in West Hollywood, California. Photo: Maury Phillips
Source: Getty Images

Pierce paired up with Antoine Walker to form a high-scoring combo for the Celtics, building on his successful rookie campaign. He had the first of seven consecutive 20-plus point-per-game 8 times overall from 2000 to 2001. He garnered 25.3 points (45.4% shooting), 6.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game after increasing his scoring to 19.5 points per game in his second season.

Full name

Paul Anthony Pierce

Date of birth

13th October 1977

Country

United States of America

Age

44 years old as of August 2022

Teams

Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Clippers

Seasons

19

Rings

1 (2008)

Dwyane Wade

In Wade's second season, he already had established himself as a superstar, averaging 24.1 points on 47.8% shooting; the first of nine consecutive seasons in which he scored 20 plus points per game, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.8 assists. Consequently, he earned the first 12 consecutive All-Star selections, Third Team All-NBA, and All-Defensive Second Team honours.

Full name

Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr

Date of birth

17th January 1982

Country

United States of America

Age

40 years old as of August 2022

Teams

Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers

Seasons

16

Rings

3 (2006, 2012, 2013)

Paul Pierce's vs Dwyane Wade's beef
Dwyane Wade attends the 2022 Time 100 Gala at Frederick P. Rose Hall at Lincoln Center on 8th June 2022, in New York City. Photo: Taylor Hill
Source: Getty Images

Paul Pierce's vs Dwyane Wade's height

Well, height is a very crucial aspect of basketball. In fact, among the tallest persons in the world are basketball players. Wade is 1.93 m tall, and Paul is 2.01 m tall.

Paul Pierce's vs Dwyane Wade's Instagram

As much basketball fans debate about who the real GOAT is as far as career stats are concerned, who between these two players boast a larger fan base across social media platforms? Paul Pierce is on Instagram and has amassed over 930k followers as of August 2022. He is also a dynamic personality on Twitter, with over 4 million followers as of August 2022.

On the other hand, Dwyane Wade is vibrant on Instagram, boasting over 19.2 million followers as of August 2022 and over 9.6 million followers on Twitter.

Paul Pierce's vs Dwyane Wade's rings

Who has more rings than the other? Paul has one ring he got in 2008 as the NBA champion and Finals MVP, while his opponent Dwyane has three rings which he won in 2006, 2012, and 2013.

Paul Pierce vs Dwyane Wade head to head

Judging by the uproar of NBA fans on social media concerning Paul Pierce's remarks on the issue that created this beef, most thought that his claims were absurd and made their thoughts clear on who had a better career.

NBA Championships and Seasons

Paul Pierce

Dwyane Wade

NBA Championships

1

3

NBA Seasons

19

16

Playoffs Played

14

13

All-Star Games

10

13

Paul Pierce's vs Dwyane Wade's stats

Here are both players' career highlights and awards throughout their professional basketball journeys.

Highlights and Awards

Paul Pierce

Dwyane Wade

NBA Champion

2008

3x 2006, 2012 and 2013

NBA Finals MVP

2008

2006

NBA All-Star

10× (2002–2006, 2008–2012)

13× (2005–2016, 2019)

NBA All-Star Game MVP

2010

NBA All-Rookie First Team

1999

2004

All-NBA First Team

2x (2009, 2010)

All-NBA Second Team

2009

3x (2005, 2006, 2011)

All-NBA Third Team

3x 2002, 2003, 2008

3x (2007, 2012, 2013)

NBA All-Defensive Second Team

3x (2005, 2009, 2010)

NBA Three-Point Shootout Champion

2010

NBA Scoring Champion

2009

Consensus First-Team All-American

1998

2003

Third-team American

2002

McDonald’s All-American

1995

California Mr. Basketball

1995

No. 34 retired by Boston Celtics

No. 34 jersey retired by the University of Kansas

No. 3 retired by Marquette

Total stats

Paul Pierce

Dwyane Wade

Total Points

26,397

23,165

Total Rebounds

7,527

4,933

Total Assists

4,708

5701

Total Steals

1,752

1,620

Total blocks

745

885

Total games

1,343

1,054

Pierce is a dynamic player who has played both ends of the court, as seen by his statistics and accomplishments. However, according to Paul Pierce vs Dwyane Wade's head-to-head stats, achievements, and impact, Dwyane Wade had a better career than Paul Pierce.

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Authors
Claudia Kogi photo
Claudia Kogi
Claudia Kogi is a Kenyan content creator with over 3 years of experience. Claudia joined Sportsbrief.com as a writer in January 2022, covering sports and relatable content.