Even though he was one of the major reasons why the Celtics ended up with the top pick in the 2017 draft, Paul Pierce could have actually played an even more prominent role in the recent NBA Draft Lottery.
According to Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck, Pierce was originally the team’s pick to be their on-air representative at the lottery. Due to requirements of his television broadcasting job, however, Pierce was ultimately unable to attend (and Grousbeck triumphantly took his place). But in a recent episode of The Chris Mannix Show, Grousbeck revealed some background on the near-miss of Pierce’s cameo:
Chris Mannix: Clarify something here for me first, Wyc.