Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977 in Oakland, California), nicknamed The Truth, is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the NBA. He earned All-America First Team honors in his junior year at Kansas, and has been a starter every season since being selected by the Celtics with the 10th overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. He is a 6-time All-Star and led Boston to an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2002 and the 2008 championship. He was named the 2008 NBA Finals MVP in his first trip to the NBA Finals