Paul Pierce’s legacy will be include an NBA championship, a long list of individual achievements, and an entire generation of eternally grateful fans. Added to that is the thanks of a current NBA player who grew up in Massachusetts idolizing Pierce.

Wayne Selden Jr., now a 22-year-old guard for the Memphis Grizzlies, was a young basketball player growing up in Roxbury. And like so in Massachusetts, he looked up to Pierce (then one of the NBA’s premier small forwards). In a picture posted to his Twitter, Selden showed an old photo with Pierce:

Congrats on the great career @paulpierce34 .. you inspired a young kid from Roxbury to go get it ?✊? pic.twitter.com/Pkfr8kkQDK — Wayne Selden Jr. (@WayneSeldenJr) May 1, 2017

Like Pierce, Selden attended the University of Kansas, where he played for three seasons.


Pierce’s last NBA game came on Sunday, as the Clippers were eliminated by the Jazz. His No. 34 jersey will be retired by the Celtics after “The Truth” played in Boston for 15 seasons.