NBA
Detroit Pistons
Pierce was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the 1st round (18th pick) of the 1982 NBA draft. Used sparingly in his rookie season, he was traded to the San Diego Clippers immediately prior to the 1983-84 NBA season for two future 2nd round draft picks.
San Diego Clippers
Pierce became a rotation regular during his one season with the Clippers, averaging 9.9 points and 18.6 minutes per game. He started 35 games during the season, highlighted by a then-career-high 30-point performance against San Antonio in his first start as a Clipper.
Milwaukee Bucks
Pierce was traded by the San Diego Clippers before the 1984–85 season along with Terry Cummings to the Milwaukee Bucks. The trade, which also brought Craig Hodges to Milwaukee, while sending veterans Junior Bridgeman and Marques Johnson (both would eventually have their jerseys retired in Milwaukee) to the Clippers, is viewed as having worked much better for the Bucks than the Clippers. [5]
Pierce was reunited with his coach at Rice, Mike Schuler, who was then an assistant coach for the Bucks. Pierce would go on to average 17 points per game over the next 6 full seasons in Milwaukee, despite starting only 46 games in that time.
On March 13, 1985, Pierce scored 22 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and recorded 6 assists in a win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. [6] Pierce and the Bucks would go on to beat Michael Jordan and the Bulls 3–1 in the first round of the playoffs, before being upset by the lower seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. [7]
Pierce won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award for 1986–87 for averaging 19.5 points per game with a 53.4% shooting percentage in his third season with the Bucks. That same postseason, on May 8, 1987, Pierce led the Bucks with 29 points off the bench in a Game 3 victory against Boston Celtics, however, Boston would ultimately win the series. [8] During the 1989 NBA Playoffs, on May 2, Pierce led the Bucks to 117-113 Game 3 victory over the Atlanta Hawks with a team-high 35 points. [9] The Bucks would win the series 3–2, before being eliminated in the next round by the eventual-champion Pistons.
The following season, Pierce earned the Sixth Man award again, averaging 23.0 points per game without starting a single one (an NBA record) [10] in 1989–90. That season, on November 9, 1989, Pierce played a key role in the longest game in the shot clock era, at four hours and 17 minutes, scoring a team leading 36 points on 15 of 21 shooting, during a 155-154 5OT win. [11] [12] [13] On December 5, Pierce scored a career-high 45 points in a loss against the Sacramento Kings. [14] In the week preceding the 1991 trade deadline, the Bucks traded Pierce to the Seattle SuperSonics for Dale Ellis.
When asked about referring to himself as a “hired gun” in relation to being a designated scorer who bounced around on several teams, Pierce said “The teams would let you know that you were hired to play a certain role. That was the role that I took on, my strength, my scoring ability. That was what I focused on. One time, in the middle of a game, I was passing the ball a lot. Coach Don Nelson called a timeout. He told me ‘I have Paul Pressey to pass. Your job is to score the ball.’ I thought that was kind of cool. I really liked that.” [15]
Seattle Supersonics
Pierce became a regular starter in the 1991–92 season, his first full season with the Sonics. He made 75 consecutive free throws through several games in November–December 1991, the second-longest such streak at that time. The same year, in 1992, Pierce led Seattle in scoring during both the regular and post seasons. [16] In the 1993 NBA playoffs, Pierce led the Sonics to 103-100 Game 7 win in the conference semifinals over the Houston Rockets with a game-leading 25 points. [17] In the next round, Pierce, alongside teammates Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, lost in seven games to the Phoenix Suns, narrowly missing an NBA Finals appearance. Pierce returned to the bench for 1993–94 following Seattle's off-season acquisition of Kendall Gill.
Indiana Pacers
Prior to the 1995–96 season, Pierce signed with the Indiana Pacers as an unrestricted free agent. Healthy once more, Pierce appeared in 76 games, and after starting only 2 games all season, he started 4 of the Pacers' 5 first round playoff games, contributing 10.2 points and 3.0 assists per game.
Charlotte Hornets
Pierce played an expanded role with the playoff-bound Hornets, starting 17 of the final 29 games and averaging 12 points per game. In the playoffs, Pierce started the first 2 games of the Hornets' series with the New York Knicks and contributed 11 points off the bench in the third, which would be his final playoff game as a player.
AEK BC Athens, return to the Bucks and retirement
Without a contract for the 1997–98 season, Pierce signed to play with AEK B.C. Athens, a Greek professional team and one of the best in the country. Pierce played five games with AEK before signing as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks in December 1997. On December 19, Pierce scored 13 points in a 92–91 loss against the Toronto Raptors. [18] He retired from basketball at the end of the season.
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The 1990–91 NBA season was the 23rd season for the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association. Head coach Bernie Bickerstaff was replaced by his former assistant K. C. Jones, and went on to occupy the desk of vice-president of Basketball Operations for Seattle, resigning months later to accept a job as General Manager of the Denver Nuggets. The Draft Lottery gave the SuperSonics the No. 2 pick, which was used to select future All-Star point guard Gary Payton out of Oregon State in the 1990 NBA draft.
The 1989–90 NBA season was the 22nd season for the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association. It was Bernie Bickerstaff's last season as head coach of the Sonics, and the first season for rookie and future All-Star forward Shawn Kemp, who was selected with the 17th pick in the 1989 NBA draft. After winning two of their first three games, the Sonics lost in a quintuple-overtime game on November 9 to the Milwaukee Bucks, 155–154 at the Bradley Center. The Sonics played around .500 for the entire season, holding a 22–23 record at the All-Star break, and peaking late in the season at 34–32 before going 7–9 to end their season, as they finished fourth in the Pacific Division with a 41–41 record, losing the #8 seed in the Western Conference to the Houston Rockets, who had the same record but were ahead after tie-breaks, and thus did not reach the playoffs.
The 1993–94 NBA season was the 26th season for the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Sonics acquired All-Star forward Detlef Schrempf from the Indiana Pacers, and acquired Kendall Gill from the Charlotte Hornets. In their third season with George Karl as head coach, the Sonics got off to a fast start winning their first ten games on their way to a 26–3 start, and later holding a league best 35–10 record at the All-Star break. The team won 17 of their final 19 games finishing the season with a franchise best 63–19 record, and made the Playoffs as the #1 seed in the Western Conference for the first time since the 1978–79 season, where the SuperSonics won their first NBA Championship.
The 1994–95 Seattle SuperSonics season was the 27th season for the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association. The SuperSonics acquired the eleventh overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft from the Charlotte Hornets, and selected Carlos Rogers out of Tennessee State University, but then traded him to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Šarūnas Marčiulionis and Byron Houston, and signed free agent Bill Cartwright during the off-season; Cartwright won three championships with the Chicago Bulls in the early 1990s. For the duration of the season, the Sonics switched venues and played their home games at the Tacoma Dome while their original stadium, the Seattle Center Coliseum, was being rebuilt to keep pace with NBA standards.
The 1990–91 NBA season was the Bucks' 23rd season in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Bucks acquired Frank Brickowski from the San Antonio Spurs, and acquired Danny Schayes from the Denver Nuggets. However, Larry Krystkowiak would miss the entire season with a knee injury. The Bucks started the season on a strong note winning their first 18 home games on their way to a 25–8 start. However, they would lose ten of their next twelve games, and held a 30–19 record at the All-Star break. Sixth man Ricky Pierce and Alvin Robertson were both selected for the 1991 NBA All-Star Game; it was Pierce's only All-Star appearance. At midseason, Pierce was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Dale Ellis. In April, the team signed free agent and former All-Star forward Adrian Dantley, as Ellis went down with a lower back injury. The Bucks would make their 12th consecutive playoff appearance finishing third in the Central Division with a 48–34 record, while posting a 33–8 home record at the Bradley Center.
The 1989–90 NBA season was the Bucks' 22nd season in the National Basketball Association. For the first time since the 1978–79 season, Sidney Moncrief was not on the team's opening day roster. During the off-season, the Bucks acquired All-Star guard Alvin Robertson and Greg Anderson from the San Antonio Spurs. Early into the season, the Bucks defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in a quintuple-overtime game on November 9, 155–154 at the Bradley Center. The team held a 27–22 record at the All-Star break. At midseason, the team traded Randy Breuer to the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Brad Lohaus. The Bucks finished third in the Central Division with a 44–38 record.
The 1997–98 NBA season was the Bucks' 30th season in the National Basketball Association. In the off-season, the Bucks acquired All-Star guard Terrell Brandon and Tyrone Hill from the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade. The team also selected Danny Fortson from the University of Cincinnati with the tenth overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft, but soon traded him to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Ervin Johnson, signed free agent Michael Curry, and re-signed former Bucks star and sixth man Ricky Pierce in December.
