Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977 in Oakland, California), also known as The Truth, is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the NBA (National Basketball Association). He earned First Team All-America (NCAA Mens Basketball All-Americans) honors in his junior year at Kansas (University of Kansas), and has been a starter (starting lineup) every season since being selected by the Celtics with the 10th overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. He is an eight-time All-Star (NBA All-Star Game), four-time All-NBA team selection and also led Boston to an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals (NBA Eastern Conference Finals) in 2002 (2001-02 NBA season), and trips to the NBA Finals in 2008 (2007-08 NBA season), and 2010 (2009-10 NBA season), winning the 2008 NBA Finals. He was named the 2008 (2007-08 NBA season) NBA Finals MVP (Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award) in his first trip to the NBA Finals.