Jayson Tatum has a ton of respect for Paul Pierce ... the basketball player.
Pierce was one of 14 hoops legends to be named a finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame's class of 2021 on Tuesday. It's a well-deserved honor: The Celtics star was a 10-time All-Star in Boston and won NBA Finals MVP in 2008 to help the C's win a championship.
Tatum chimed in Tuesday night on Twitter to share his support for The Truth -- but couldn't resist a jab.
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At least he ended the tweet with a compliment.
Tatum is referring to Pierce's second career as a broadcaster with ESPN in which he's doled out some hot takes. C's fans may recall Pierce declaring Boston's second-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2019 "over" after the Celtics took Game 1 (they lost the next four), and fans of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade may take issue with Pierce's repeated refusal to praise the two former Miami Heat stars.
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Pierce's Celtics had some fierce battles with James and Wade's Heat in the early 2010s, so he may have carried his inner competitor into the studio.
But regardless of how you feel about Pierce the broadcaster, Pierce the player has a good chance to be immortalized when the class of 2021 is revealed in May.
Tatum's Celtics, meanwhile, will return from the NBA All-Star break Thursday night to face the Nets in Brooklyn.