Former Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce, 47, has shared a controversial hot take on why some men choose to date white women.
Pierce addressed the hot topic during a February episode of his “The Truth After Dark” podcast with his co-host Azar Farideh, 33, and Oakland-bred rapper Guapdad 4000, 32.
The main topic of the episode’s conversation centered around whether men or women are more “toxic.” At one point, Farideh changed the subject to questioning Pierce about why his basketball peers have interracial relationships.
“Why do you feel like men, especially NBA players, get with white women? Is it ‘cause they’re ‘easy’?” Farideh asked the 10-time NBA All-Star.
Pierce responded, “I honestly think that maybe they appreciate more and they apologize more.” That answer led to Pierce, Farideh, and Guapdad bursting out in laughter. The retired baller added, “They all don’t mind being held accountable.”
The expected heat eventually forced the “Stomp the Yard” star to issue an apology.
Short, 42, currently shares two sons with his wife, Luxe Creative Agency founder Aida Abramyan, who is of Armenian descent. He also has a daughter and a son from previous marriages.
Similarly, 49-year-old actor Jamal Woolard, known for his role in “Notorious,” faced criticism after explaining why he dated women of other races. He claimed that women from other races often fulfilled his expectations more, stating that he didn’t have to do much to be treated “like a king” compared to American women.
“I was dating outside of my race ’cause they were doing things better than my race,” he said during a panel discussion on “The Culture Club in 2022. “Not better [but] other races, they were doing way more of what we expect we want our women to do.”
Despite Farideh wanting to cut off the likely incoming negative comments directed at her co-host, Pierce still became the target of criticism for his “The Truth After Dark” commentary on Black women.
“The internet about to tear him apart. And he deserves it!,” wrote one person in the comments of ABS’s post.
Another comment read, “Just say what women say and say it’s a preference.”
The conversation was the same on X with some writing, “The NBA is mostly black men and black men mostly date black women. Paul Pierce is a drunk idiot for all of this.”
In a more surprising reaction to Pierce’s viewpoint, someone else on X replied, “Date whoever you like but do it without attacking black women.”
Pierce may have created a firestorm by claiming white women “appreciate” and “apologize” more than Black women, but the former University of Kansas student insisted he has mostly been romantically involved with women of his own race.
“Both of my baby mamas are Black,” Pierce clarified. “I came from East Oakland, moved to East L.A. to Inglewood. I didn’t even know how to talk to a white person until I got to Kansas. They didn’t understand my language.”
In 2000, Pierce married actress Dana Davis before the pair divorced in 2004. Davis gave birth to their daughter, Janaiya, in January 2003. The one-time NBA champion is also the father of three children with his ex-wife, Julie Pierce.
After initially meeting at the 2005 NBA All-Star Weekend, Pierce married Julie in 2010. They have two daughters, Prianna (born April 2008) and Adrian (born 2011), and a son, Prince (born 2013). Pierce announced he was “single” in January 2023 without providing further details about his relationship status.
