Paul Pierce steals show with KU basketball alumni in New Orleans as Jayhawks win title
Paul Pierce was in his element.
Dressed in a blue Final Four Kansas men’s basketball shirt, complete with sunglasses and Mardi Gras beads with a Jayhawk emblem attached, the KU legend attracted a flock of adoring fans walking through the heart of a Jayhawks cheering section before Monday’s national championship game against North Carolina at the Caesars Superdome.
Pierce soaked it all in, a smile never coming off his face as he posed for every picture and shook every hand. And when he made his way all the way to the bottom of the section, Pierce started waving and yelling at the KU students across from him standing behind the goal.
“This is our night!” Pierce screamed, grabbing his shirt to emphasize the Kansas across his chest. He turned out to be right as Kansas set records by storming back from 16 points down in the first half and 15 at halftime to beat UNC 72-69 for its fourth NCAA title.
Pierce was garnering so much attention that most fans hardly realized that Drew Gooden, a former All-American who led the Jayhawks to a Final Four and whose jersey hangs from the rafters of Allen Fieldhouse, was walking down the stairs behind him.
“Man, Paul is like a rock star,” Gooden chuckled.
Pierce, who has his jersey hanging from the rafters of Allen Fieldhouse after his playing career from 1996-98, was one of several KU basketball alumni in New Orleans to cheer on their alma mater in person.
Other notable Jayhawks who were spotted in attendance were Danny Manning (1985-88), Mario Chalmers (2006-08), Nick Collison (2000-03), Ryan Robertson (1996-99) and Eric Chenowith (1998-01).
This story was originally published April 4, 2022 at 9:21 PM.
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