Nothing says peak NBA offseason like a debate about the legacies of two players who have not faced one another in nearly seven years.

With the 2023 NBA Finals, free agency and Summer League in basketball fans’ rearview, Hall of Famer Paul Pierce made an appearance on YouTube’s “It Is What It Is” show hosted by rap legends Cam’ron and Mase. During his time on the show, Pierce re-ignited the debate that compares his career accomplishments to those of Dwyane Wade, who is set to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame in August 2023.

“Put (Shaquille O’Neal) on my team. Put LeBron (James) and (Chris) Bosh with me. I’m not gonna win one? You don’t think? Me, LeBron and Bosh — we’re not gonna win one?” Pierce said, indicating Wade’s success was largely a product of his team’s strength.

After emphasizing why he believes he’s a better scorer than Wade — and clarifying that his comments aren’t meant to be a knock on Wade — Pierce reiterated that “my skills went unappreciated because I didn’t get to play with a lot of great players.”

Days later, Pierce took to Twitter to clarify again, saying he “would never disrespect (Wade), he is an all-time great.” Adding that “all I’m saying is the narrative surrounding me would be different if I was lucky enough to play with all-timers earlier in my career,” citing a few examples of other players.

Pierce’s comments reopen a debate he first brought up in 2019 while still working on ESPN’s “NBA Countdown.”

More than two weeks after Pierce’s recent comments, Wade responded in an appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz.

“Listen, rent is expensive in America, and I’m living rent free right now,” Wade said. “So let him keep—I like living rent free.”

When asked about the comparison between the two players, Wade wasn’t entertaining the conversation, instead saying he’d leave it up to the media.

“It’s documented,” Wade said. “I don’t need to say anything. Everything is documented. So, I’ll let you guys go ahead and talk about all that stuff. It sounds better coming from y’all than me.

“I’m done playing the game of basketball. I’m not comparing myself to someone who’s not playing the game, or who is playing the game.”

Let’s take a closer look at the debate by comparing the stats and accolades of the two Hall of Famers, whose careers overlapped for 14 seasons.

Dwyane Wade vs. Paul Pierce: Regular season stats

While Pierce is adamant that his scoring is superior to Wade’s, Wade has a higher peak as a scorer and a higher career average. In the 2008-09 season, Wade led the league with a career-high average of 30.2 points over 79 games. Pierce, who never won a scoring title, maxed out at an average of 26.8 points over 79 games during the 2005-06 season.

With respect to scoring, it is worth noting that Pierce’s scoring tanked during his age 38 and 39 seasons with the Clippers, in which he averaged 5.4 points over 93 games. Wade never averaged single digits over the course of his career.

Elsewhere, Pierce has the edge as a rebounder, 3-point shooter and free-throw shooter, while Wade averaged more assists and shot better from the field overall.

Dwyane Wade vs. Paul Pierce: Regular season advanced stats

There is an even split between Wade and Pierce in the six regular season advanced stats categories below. Pierce’s career win shares are the biggest difference as he has nearly 30 more than Wade. It is again worth noting that Pierce played in nearly 300 more games than Wade.

Dwyane Wade vs. Paul Pierce: Playoff stats

Similar to their regular-season comparison, Wade edges Pierce in postseason scoring thanks largely to the fact Pierce played a limited role in his final two seasons.

Wade’s postseason scoring peak also clears Pierce’s. In 2010, Wade averaged 33.2 points in a series loss to Pierce’s Celtics. Pierce’s highest average for a single postseason was 27.1 points per game over 10 games in 2003.

The rebounding figure and 3-point efficiency are closer, but Pierce still gets the edge. Wade has better assist numbers and holds a slight edge in blocks and steals.

Dwyane Wade vs. Paul Pierce Playoff advanced stats

Wade has the edge in each of the below six advanced stat categories in the postseason, where the two played nearly an identical amount of games. Wade, however, played nearly 500 more postseason minutes than Pierce, which would have an impact on the win shares.

Dwyane Wade vs. Paul Pierce: Accolades and awards

With respect to accolades, Wade was able to accomplish a bit more than Pierce. Wade’s three NBA titles outdo Pierce’s one, though each player was named NBA Finals MVP once.

Wade was named to an All-NBA Team twice as many times as Pierce and earned three All-Defensive Team selections while Pierce failed to earn any. Both received double-digit All-Star selections, though Wade (13) has a slight edge over Pierce (10).

Wade’s lone scoring title also gives him an edge there. Both are members of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team and both have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Dwyane Wade vs. Paul Pierce head-to-head

Unlike many debates, fans witnessed Wade and Pierce go head-to-head over 50 times in their respective careers, with the two facing off 33 times in the regular season and meeting in an additional four postseason series.

Wade gets the edge in the head-to-head record in both the regular season and postseason, including a classic seven-game series in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals.