Paul Pierce is reportedly coming to ESPN as a full-time analyst ahead of the 2017-18 NBA season not even a full season after his retirement.
After finishing up his 19th NBA season, Pierce retired from the NBA after the Los Angeles Clippers were knocked out of the playoffs. He immediately joined ESPN as a guest analyst and apparently made enough of an impression to make the network ready to bring him on full-time, per Sports Illustrated:
"ESPN executives have been so impressed by Pierce's work that they have let him know they are interested in bringing him in fulltime for the 2017-18 season. Pierce said he and his reps will sit down with ESPN executives after the Finals but this is something he wants. Nothing is official but take this one to Vegas: Next year's fulltime NBA Countdown group will be Michele Beadle, Chauncey Billups, Jalen Rose, and Pierce."
Pierce has thrown out all kinds of ludicrous comments during his short stint at ESPN, fitting right into the bold prediction mentality the worldwide leader loves to present. Take Example 1A, for instance:
While Pierce has openly discussed a future in an NBA front office, specifically with the Boston Celtics, he has seemingly fit right into place on television.
We'll see what he has to say ahead of Game 5 of the NBA Finals, which starts Monday night at 9 p.m. ET.
The move comes after ESPN tore apart its NBA coverage and restructured the company amid widespread layoffs.
