Why former KU Jayhawk Paul ‘Truth’ Pierce woke up early an for 8-hour walk to work
Former University of Kansas and NBA standout Paul Pierce told the world before Wednesday’s second game of the Eastern Conference semifinals that he would walk 15 miles to work Thursday if his former team, the Celtics, lost to the New York Knicks.
Pierce threw down the proclamation on the FS1 show, “Speak.”
“If the Celtics lose Game 2 at home,” the former KU star said on the broadcast, “I’m walking here tomorrow, 15 miles! In my robe, no shoes on, barefoot. … Put the house on this game!”
A man of his word, the 47-year-old nicknamed “Truth” started what was slated to be an 8-hour trek (the map app on his phone reported it’d actually be 20 miles, not 15) from his house to the Fox lot in Los Angeles at 5 a.m. Pacific time on Thursday.
The Knicks won Game 2 of their series with the Celtics late Wednesday evening, rallying from a 20-point deficit to shock the defending NBA champions 91-90 in Boston.
Pictures and video on social media site X Thursday morning showed Pierce in a bath robe beginning his walk. It appeared he was wearing shoes.
The diehard Celtics supporter was providing updates on the hour via X. TMZ.com was the first to report on Pierce’s long walk.
“Welcome to this journey, here I go,” Pierce said at sunrise Thursday. “Man this is really wild. I can’t believe this. Celtics got me out here like this, dog.”
Pierce, who played for KU from 1996-98, said on X as he walked to work, “I’m really walking uphill like this. I got a long walk to go. I’ve got to put my shades on (so) everybody won’t recognize (me). Here we go, man. Here we go. Every hour top of the hour I’m gonna give you an update on where I’m at.”
In his first update, Pierce said he’d be stopping at a gas station to purchase some much-needed water.
“I’m a man of my word,” he said as he continued to walk.
Pierce also indicated before Game 2 of the series that he would bet his house on the outcome. According to TMZ, he quipped that there was a better chance of seeing a dinosaur outside the studio than New York going up two games to none.
Keyshawn Johnson, who also appears on the show “Speak,” filmed his own video clip Thursday on X. While getting a haircut, he said: “I tried to tell him (Pierce), but he was hardheaded, didn’t want to listen so therefore he has to pay dearly.”
Johnson said he was going to look for Pierce walking on Ventura Boulevard and give him some water.
Pierce spent the first 15 seasons of his 19-year NBA career with the Celtics. He ranks second in franchise history with 24,021 career points. He was the 2007-08 NBA Finals MVP and a 10-time All-Star. He was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2021.
Game 3 of the Celtics-Knicks series is 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The show “Speak” was set to begin at 4 p.m. Central Time on Thursday on FS1.
This story was originally published May 8, 2025 at 12:57 PM with the headline "Why former KU Jayhawk Paul ‘Truth’ Pierce woke up early an for 8-hour walk to work."
