- published: 03 Aug 2009
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Albert "Al" Harrington (born February 17, 1980 in Orange, New Jersey) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the NBA's Denver Nuggets. The forward stands six feet nine inches (2.06 m), and weighs 250 pounds (113 kg).
Harrington is a cousin of Indiana Pacers guard/forward Dahntay Jones.
Harrington grew up in Orange, New Jersey, but then his family moved to Roselle, New Jersey. He played high school basketball at St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth, New Jersey. In 1998, he was selected as player of the year by USA Today.
At only 18 years of age, Al was selected by the Pacers with the 25th pick of the 1998 NBA Draft, and spent six seasons with them, primarily coming off the bench. Harrington really began to come into his own in the 2001–02 season, in which he averaged 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, but his season came to an end in a game against the Boston Celtics when he suffered a knee injury that forced him to miss the final 38 games of the season.
He made a comeback in the 2002–03 season, becoming the only Pacer to play in all 82 games that year. He averaged 12.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while starting in 37 games. The following season, he boosted his averages slightly to 13.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, and finished second in voting for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. He was an integral part of the Pacers' first run to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2000.
Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977), nicknamed The Truth, is an American professional basketball forward with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Pierce was a high school McDonald's All-American and earned First Team All-America honors in his junior year at Kansas. Pierce has been a starter every season since being selected by the Celtics with the 10th overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. He is a ten-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA team selection, and also led Boston to the NBA Finals in 2008 and 2010, winning the 2008 NBA Finals. He was named the 2008 NBA Finals MVP in his first trip to the NBA Finals. Pierce also is one of only three Celtics, alongside Larry Bird and John Havlicek, who have scored over 20,000 points in their career with the Celtics alone. He holds the Celtics' record for most three-point field goals made. He also ranks third in team history in games played, second in points scored, seventh in total rebounds, fifth in total assists, and second in total steals. His nickname "The Truth" was given to him by Shaquille O'Neal on March 15, 2001.