As he started talking about his family, the emotions finally started pouring out of Paul Pierce.
With his two daughters Prianna and Adrian, his son Prince, and his wife Julie sitting before him on the TD Garden parquet, in front of a sellout crowd, the gravity of the moment hit Pierce.
“This makes it all worth it because of you,” Pierce said. “This makes it all worth it.”
Then, the tears started flowing, and before he could say another word, Pierce was getting a standing ovation.
It was yet another ovation for Pierce after a career full of them, as the Celtics legend joined immortality among the franchise’s greats, his No.