Paul Pierce is coming home - and he’s bringing the energy with him.
The Kansas Jayhawks legend and NBA Hall of Famer is set to return to Allen Fieldhouse this Saturday for the Big 12 showdown between No. 14 Kansas and No.
13 BYU. It’s been a long time coming for Pierce, who hasn’t stepped foot in the iconic arena since the Legends of the Phog alumni game back in 2011.
Before that, his last major return was for his jersey retirement in 2003.
“I’m excited to get back there,” Pierce said on the “KG Certified” podcast with former Celtics teammate Kevin Garnett. “It’s been a minute.”
This won’t just be a solo trip down memory lane. Pierce is making the visit with his oldest daughter - and he’s hoping to be joined by another Jayhawk great, Mario Chalmers.
“I even called Mario Chalmers to say, ‘Man, meet me there,’” Pierce said. “If you’ve got us both in the building, it will be pretty dope.”
For Pierce, this visit is personal. He played at Kansas from 1995 to 1998, and in that time, he never lost a single game at Allen Fieldhouse.
“I don’t know what it feels like in that building,” he joked, referencing his perfect record. “It’s going to be 49-0.”
The Hall of Famer lit up as he recalled what made Allen Fieldhouse so special - the noise, the tradition, the banners in the rafters. “It’s got so much tradition.
I don’t even know how to explain it,” he said. “In NBA terms, it’d be the Boston Garden of college.”
He shared memories of the crowd, the chaos, and the culture that makes Allen Fieldhouse one of the most intimidating venues in college basketball. One moment that stood out?
A comeback win over defending national champion UCLA in 1995. Kansas trailed by 15 at the half, but roared back to win 85-70 in what Pierce called one of the loudest games he’s ever experienced.
“We rallied so bad. It might have been the loudest I ever heard a gym,” he said.
Pierce also painted a vivid picture of what gameday looked like in Lawrence. Students camping out days in advance.
Autographs on the way to class. A campus buzzing with anticipation.
“You are the star out there because there’s no NBA. There’s the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas Jayhawks,” he said.
Now 48, Pierce still speaks with the same passion he brought to the court. He reflected on his time under Roy Williams and the defensive chemistry he had with teammate Jacque Vaughn - who’s now on Bill Self’s staff as an assistant coach.
“It was so loud in there, you can’t call out the coverage,” Pierce said. “We had defensive signals with Jacque.”
Pierce’s return to Lawrence couldn’t come at a better time. Saturday’s game is more than just a top-15 matchup - it’s also the 1,000th game in Allen Fieldhouse history. And it features two of the brightest young stars in college basketball: Kansas’ Darryn Peterson and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, both projected to be top picks in the 2026 NBA Draft.
“This is going to be the game of the year,” Pierce said, noting he hasn’t met Peterson yet. But he knows what this kind of stage can do for a player’s draft stock.
“When you have big prime-time games with two prospects, you get to see them both in the same room live,” he said. “There can be an assessment: ‘Hey, all right, this guy showed.’”
Pierce emphasized that it’s not just about the box score - it’s about rising to the moment. “If AJ can come out and have 40 or if Peterson comes out and gives ‘em a good 40, you are going to be like, ‘OK, he rose to the occasion.’”
That’s what scouts are looking for - not just measurables, but intangibles. The ability to deliver under pressure. The kind of performance that sticks in the minds of decision-makers when draft night rolls around.
“That’s why the NCAA Tournament boosts a lot of people’s stock,” Pierce added. “Now you are on a bigger stage and you perform.”
While Pierce didn’t recall ever being in a head-to-head matchup of this magnitude during his time at Kansas, he did mention facing Chauncey Billups and Michael Dickerson - both lottery picks in the late ‘90s. But Peterson vs.
Dybantsa? “These two are different,” he said.
“One and two. We’re going to see.”
As Saturday approaches, the buzz around Allen Fieldhouse is building. Paul Pierce is coming home.
The banners are still hanging. The noise will be deafening.
And two future NBA stars are about to step onto the same court where Pierce once carved out his legend.
If you’re looking for a moment that captures everything college basketball is about - tradition, talent, and the pressure to perform - this is it.