Omari Sanfoka II: Dwane Casey said Bennedict Mathurin reminds him of Ricky Pierce
Ricky Pierce Rumors
Michael Scotto: Tyler Herro is the first player to win the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award with the Miami Heat. He became the fifth player to average 20 or more points off the bench in a minimum 50 games as a reserve joining Thurl Bailey, Eddie Johnson, Ricky Pierce and Lou Williams.
In this clip, former NBA player Gary Payton recounted how he received the nickname “The Glove” and how it eventually became one of the most iconic and recognizable nicknames associated with the NBA. He talked about the 1994 Ricky Pierce situation where the former teammates got into a heated exchange to the point that threats were placed on Pierce’s life.
Justin Kubatko: Coby White is just the third player in NBA history* to record three consecutive 30-point games coming off the bench. The others to do so are Ricky Pierce (2x) and JR Smith. * Starters were first officially recorded in 1970-71.
These days it is not uncommon for adults to go back to school, to retrain for a career change or prepare for a promotion. Although an exceptional athlete, veteran NBA basketball star Ricky Pierce is no exception when it comes to taking advantage of new opportunities as, at 52, he is back at Rice University to complete a degree he left unfinished. Leaving school for an illustrious pro basketball career that spanned 16 years and included two Sixth-Man awards, Pierce said that now that he has retired from playing the sport, he would like to coach it at the college level. To play, he needed skill. To coach, he will need a degree. “Why’d I retire?” said Pierce, “That’s funny, I retired because I got old. Basketball, it was time to go. You can play only so long — 16 years. I’ve been thinkin’ about college coaching. I just have an itch, I was training a lot of players when I retired. I didn’t graduate the first time, that’s why I’m back in school now.”
Returning to school seems to Pierce in some ways like turning back the clock. “It’s pretty cool,” he said. “It’s an adjustment, seems like just reliving the days. I’m going to track meets and baseball meets and football and tennis, I went to a swim meet this year.” “I enjoy it a lot more,” he continued. “Hanging out the student body is kind of weird. They’re pretty cool. A lot of ’em don’t know who I am. Some of them are curious, some of them think it’s pretty cool. Some say, ‘Hey, my dad remembers you.'” Upon graduating, Pierce will hold a degree in physical education. But, when it comes to educating youth in sports as well as in health and fitness, Pierce is not waiting. He reinvented the basketball, and formed accushot22rickeypierce.com to sell it.
