Hall of Famer Paul Pierce still appears baffled by ESPN's decision to fire him: 'What did I do wrong?'
Former Celtics star worked at ESPN from 2017-2021
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Basketball Hall of Famer Paul Pierce has one simple question about his removal from ESPN: "What did I do wrong?"
It has been around two years since ESPN decided to fire Pierce shortly after he posted an Instagram Live video that showed dancers as he consumed alcohol and smoked. However, Pierce still appears to believe he was unjustly terminated.
During a recent appearance on the "I Am Athlete" podcast, the Boston Celtics legend said the content of the video was not egregious enough for him to lose his job.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Paul Pierce #34 of the Boston Celtics reacts against the New York Knicks in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2011 NBA Playoffs on April 24, 2011 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. (Nick Laham/Getty Images)
"I got fired for what? I got fired for having some entertainment," Pierce asked. "I’m playing cards, [it’s] my boy’s birthday, there’s girls dancing, and we’re blowing some trees. What did I do wrong?"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}At one point in the show, Brandon Marshall, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson, who co-host the "I Am Athlete" podcast, joked about Pierce posting the video "on your day off."
NBA legend Paul Pierce looks on during Game Three of the 2022 NBA Finals on June 8, 2022 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images)
When Pierce said it was filmed via a selfie video, the group jokingly commented that the situation was similar to what Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant did last month. In early March, Morant appeared to flash a gun from the inside of a Denver-area nightclub during an Instagram Live broadcast.
"I don’t ever go live either, I was just feeling my [hair] cut or something, and then it was popping behind me," Pierce said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Paul Pierce #34 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings at Arco Arena on February 16, 2010 in Sacramento, California. The Celtics won 95-92. (Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
Peirce mentioned that a high-level ESPN employee contacted him to inform him that the company was conducting an investigation into the video.
He added that the employee questioned him about him his actions in the video, to which he responded that it was "self-explanatory."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pierce added that the organization viewed his actions as "immoral."
"At the end of the day, it’s Disney, and they have a morals clause, and they just said it was immoral," he explained.