More than $100,000 in cash, luxury watches and a safe were reportedly stolen from the San Fernando Valley home of Basketball Hall of Famer Paul Pierce last week.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to the Times on Tuesday that officers responded to a robbery around 9 a.m. Friday on the Woodland Hills block where Pierce lives. According to Los Angeles police, “unknown items” were stolen and no arrests have been made.
TMZ first reported that Pierce's home had been burglarized on Friday while the 10-time NBA All-Star was not home.
The LAPD declined to comment on whether the incident could be related to a growing trend of “robbery tourism,” in which thieves from South America enter the United States for the purpose of committing robberies, usually in wealthy neighborhoods.
A former standout at Inglewood High, Pierce was a first-round draft pick of the Boston Celtics in 1998. He was named MVP of the 2008 NBA Finals, in which the Celtics defeated the Lakers in six games for the Pierce's only championship. career.
After 15 seasons in Boston, Pierce spent one year with the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards, then played two years with the Clippers before retiring after the 2016-17 season. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2021.
Following his retirement from the NBA, Pierce worked as a basketball analyst for ESPN and, most recently, was a cast member of the Fox reality series “Stars on Mars.”
Last year, Pierce reached a $1.4 million settlement agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission over alleged illegal cryptocurrency promotion. Pierce admitted to no wrongdoing in reaching the agreement.
