Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce was back at TD Garden on Sunday to see his old team host the Minnesota Timberwolves. Before the game, he also participated in and won the first annual Causeway Classic Three-Point Contest, proving he's still an elite shooter at age 48.
It was also, by his own admission, the first time he's talked to Jayson Tatum in depth since Tatum's brutal Achilles injury last May.
In an interview with Celtics reporter Ian Inangelo before the game, Pierce explained why he's intentionally kept his distance from Tatum recently.
I asked Paul Pierce on if he reached out to Jayson Tatum at all since his return
“This will be my first time today, seeing him saying something to him. So, you know the thing about, I know about guys when they get in a situation Jayson was in, you know, I had to be, I had a… pic.twitter.com/kIdmBh9LvT
— Ian Inangelo (@iinangelo) March 22, 2026
"This will be my first time today, seeing him saying something to him. So, you know the thing about, I know about guys when they get in a situation Jayson was in, you know, I had to be, I had a chance to be around Kevin [Garnett] when he was going through his injury and stuff. Sometimes you want to give people some space. I did. I reached out to him one time, I think, via text throughout the process.
"But, you know, I think it's a moment to where you want to put yourself in a place, to where you're isolated and you want to grind, you want to work to get back where you need to go. And I'm sure everybody was showing support, but I showed my support from far, and he knows I'm always there for him if he ever needed anything."
Pierce had plenty of experience dealing with injuries to himself and his teammates throughout his 19-year NBA career, so he knows that sometimes less is more, especially if players prefer their own personal space or private time.
Now that Tatum has returned and is healthy again, Pierce will likely be in more communication with him going forward.
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