Boston Celtics Captain, Paul Pierce, hasn’t had his career handed to him on a silver platter. He’s been through the gutter, whether it was the fact that he was cut from the Varsity basketball team during his Freshman and Sophomore years at Inglewood High School, was stabbed at a nightclub in 2000, and had to work his way into the hearts of Boston fans, a notoriously tough thing to do.
Well, how did he stay motivated? Its actually something that we’ve all heard millions of times, but we need reminders now and again. Pierce shares with Mens Health some of his thoughts on how to stay motivated on the Court and in life.
Cut the Fat- After the Boston Celtics clinched the NBA title last year, Pierce didn’t just go home and get fat. Instead, he decided that he needed to be lighter on the court and switched his diet to healthier fare with lean proteins and plenty of vegetables. He dropped 9 pounds and said he felt more prepared than ever on the Court.
Be the First- Pierce usually starts his own work out a couple of hours before Scheduled team practices to get his running and cardio in, and probably also just to increase his stamina on the court. As every athlete knows, the more you push yourself, the more benefits you will reap. Sometimes you just need to push yourself, no matter how hard or annoying it can be.
Find Strength in Weakness- Pierce says that during his toughest times, he would listen to the words of Celtics Coach Red Auerbach. Pierce says, “Red always said to me, ?Your name is Paul Pierce, and just remember who you are. Understanding who you are is saying…You’re great, you have tons of confidence, and don’t ever forget that.’ And that helped me, man. Because when things weren’t going right, I thought, You’ve got to remember who you are. Don’t stray from that. Don’t let these things get you down.”
As an athlete myself, I think that motivation comes from within yourself. If you don’t push yourself, you’ll never know how high you can climb.
As of posting time, Paul Pierce and the rest of the Boston Celtics are facing off against the Orlando Magic in the NBA Playoffs for the 2009 Title.
(Photo By: Keith Allison and Erik Kilby)
didn’t know he was stabbed, damn that’s rough.