“Everybody gonna have to shut the hell up”: Paul Pierce leaves no room for doubt on Michael Jordan’s massive NBA return

It's been a long while since NBA fans got to listen to Michael Jordan discuss the game of basketball. He didn't talk much when he was a majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets, and he's been a very private person since he walked away from the game.

That's why Paul Pierce is so happy to hear that he's going to be unapologetic, harsh, and frontal in his new role. During Monday's episode of the "Podcast P with Paul George," the former Boston Celtics star claimed that, now that Jordan has joined NBC to be a part of their broadcast team, everybody will just have to put their heads down and listen to what he has to say:

"Everybody just gonna have to shut the hell up," Pierce said (Timestamp 47:06). "It's MJ. You're seeing the GOAT, like, look, alright, I think the rest of the older players, the older than me, will follow in line."

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Pierce, who grew up idolizing Jordan, thinks that having one of the greatest and most respected players of all time be a part of the game and share his insights will be a positive:

"I think that's important, and I'm glad that Mike is going to be able to come on and give his perspective," Pierce continued (Timestamp 47:27).

Jordan's role with NBC hasn't been fully disclosed to the public, but he's reportedly going to be active and make multiple appearances in broadcasts.

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Paul Pierce blames lack of practice for injuries

The NBA has come a long way, even from when Pierce was in his prime. Unfortunately, not all changes have been positive.

For starters, we've seen a major uptick in Achilles injuries lately, with three players sustaining Achilles tears in the playoffs alone.

When asked about that, Pierce revealed that he had been talking to Kevin Garnett about that, and he believes it has to do with the players not practicing as much anymore:

"We say it’s a combination of the like pace, the pace is a part of it but we like man he like KG made an interesting point he was like ‘they don’t practice no more,’" Pierce said (Timestamp 19:50).

The NBA will reportedly use AI to try and get to the bottom of these injuries, as the 82-game schedule has been there for decades now, yet players didn't sustain as many season-ending injuries in the past.

Hopefully, the league will also listen to the input of current and former players to determine the best course of action to solve this issue.

Edited by nagpaltusharn25