Former NBA superstar Paul Pierce has been pretty busy since retiring in 2018. Unfortunately, one of his extracurricular activities has reportedly gotten him into some hot water.
According to TMZ Sports, Pierce is being sued for upwards of $180,000. The lawsuit stems from unpaid debts Pierce allegedly owed from gambling on high-stakes poker games.
The plaintiff, Stephen Carmona, claims that he lent Pierce $150,000 – $140,000 of which Pierce lost. Carmona also claims that he lent Pierce another $40,000 the following week, all of which was lost.
Per the suit, Carmona claims that Pierce promised to repay him within seven days. But he allegedly only received $10,000 out of the $190,000 lent to him.
There’s certainly merit to the idea of Paul Pierce losing a lot of money in high-stakes poker. He has previously participated in the World Series of Poker.
If the allegations are proven true, it certainly begs the question why Pierce wouldn’t – or perhaps couldn’t – pay back a debt like that. He earned upwards of $200 million during his 20-year NBA career.
Pierce played his first 15 NBA seasons for the Boston Celtics, during which he made 10 All-Star games and won an NBA title in 2008. He was the Finals MVP and later had his No. 34 jersey retired by the Celtics.
Paul Pierce has not yet commented on the claims alleged in the lawsuit.