Pierce Released From Hospital
Basketball Player Says He Feels Great
With his mother and two brothers beside him the 22-year-old guard told the crowd, "I want to thank God for allowing me to be here today."
Pierce was stabbed 11 times in the poolroom of a Boston nightclub early Monday morning. Three associates of the local rap group Made Men have are suspects in the attack. They were scheduled for arraignment Thursday morning.
"First of all I want to thank God for allowing me to be here today. Without him I wouldn't be standing here being able to talk to everybody," Pierce said.
"My family and I want to thank the hospital, all the doctors, nurses for taking care of me while I was here these past few days," he added. "I want to thank my friends, my fans, the Celtics organization, people all over the world for their support. They've been tremendous. It's unbelievable the amount of attention that I've been getting these past few days. Everybody's really been great."
Pierce said he feels good and can't wait to re-join his Celtics teammates on the basketball court.
Two men charged in connection with the stabbing of Celtics star Paul Pierce will be in court Thursday.
Tony Hurston and Trevor Watson surrendered to Boston police Wednesday night, a few hours after police publicly identified them as suspects. William Ragland remained at large Thursday morning.
Ragland and Watson are accused of stabbing Pierce, while Hurston is accused of hitting the basketball player with a bottle.
The Boston Herald reports that Hurston is a bodyguard for the Boston-based rap music group Made Men. Ragland and Watson -- who have criminal records -- also reportedly have ties to the rappers.
Made Men members Raymond Scott and Marco Antonio Ennis were in the Buzz Club when Pierce was stabbed early Monday morning. But both have denied involvement in the attack.
Pierce is in good condition at the New England Medical Center and could be released from the hospital Friday.
The 6-foot-7, 220-pound Pierce averaged 19.5 points and ranked second in the NBA in steals with 2.08 a game. Pierce, an All-American at Kansas, was drafted in the first round in 1998 after his junior season.
