Paul Pierce Says Marriage Is Only for the Elderly and 'Poor People'

In an episode of his podcast, which he co-hosts with Azar Farideh, former NBA star Paul Pierce suggested that marriage is only for the elderly and "poor people."

The 47-year-old retired hooper, who played his final season with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2017, opened up about his past relationships on an episode of The Truth After Dark, which dropped in February. "All men want at the end of the day is feel appreciated and respected," he said around the 7:20 point of the podcast, as seen above. "When you start coming home and respect ain't there... That's how all my relationships ended."

He said that he's been on both sides of cheating, and admitted he stayed with a woman who cheated on him. "I feel like every relationship shouldn't be based off sex, but every relationship is based off of that," he said. "That's why I'll never be in another relationship, 'cause it's always based off of that... Once that wear down, you gonna go find somebody else that's better."

From here, he explained his stance on not wanting to get in another relationship and shared his thoughts on marriage. "Let me say what marriage is and who marriage is for: Marriage is for old people and poor people," he said. "Our parents, like my moms and all them, they married on a merit of like, 'Okay, we gonna put our incomes together. Have all these kids... We going to have 5-10 kids.' Back in the '60s, all them, they going to have 5-10 kids so they can work and bring in income. So you poor, you married for that, and now when you get old... somebody has to be by your side to take care of you."

He revealed that his mother got married when she was 70. "It was perfect, she had somebody by her side the whole way through," he continued. "Outside of that, it's no advantage to a man. What does it do for a man when things go south? Like we going to have to give up half our this, pay child support... It's only advantageous to a woman."

He said that he's not interested in "locking no woman down," and that he can't see himself getting in another long-term relationship until he turns 70. "We both old, we ain't out in the streets," he laughed. "We at home watching TV, you go take me to the hospital, I'mma take you to the hospital. But right now? I'm too cracking right now." He also said that he's not interested in being an open relationship, either, because he's not interested in having multiple partners.

Pierce has three children with his ex-wife Julie, whom he married in 2010 and divorced in 2023. He announced the divorce with a tweet in January 2023, which bluntly read, "I'm single what's up."

Watch the full episode of the podcast above.