Celtics great Paul Pierce to be inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame as part of 2021 class

Paul Pierce holds up the 2008 championship trophy at a 2018 ceremony in which the Celtics retired his No. 34 jersey. topic: reporter:Matthew J. Lee

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Celtics great Paul Pierce, who played 15 years for Boston and is the franchise’s No. 2 all-time scorer, will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told the Globe.

Pierce, 43, led Boston to the 2007-08 NBA championship along with Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, who is being inducted into the Hall on Saturday as part of the 2020 class.

Pierce will be part of the Hall’s 2021 class that will be announced Sunday morning.

The 10th overall pick in the 1998 draft, Pierce played through some difficult times in Boston before reaching team and personal success. He was one of the game’s great small forwards, using his size to post up opponents and his smooth shooting stroke to drain midrange jumpers.

Pierce is ninth all time in 3-pointers, played in 10 All-Star Games, and was named All-NBA four times. He is 16th on the all-time scoring list with 26,397 points; 24,021 with the Celtics.

The Inglewood, Calif., native also played with the Nets, Wizards, and Clippers. In his final game at TD Garden, with the Clippers, Pierce thrilled the crowd by draining his final jumper in the final minute. He retired after the 2016-17 season and his No. 34 was retired by the Celtics in February 2018.

Pierce survived a near-fatal stabbing early in his career and muddled through a series of losing seasons before rising to become one of the top players in the NBA. Under Celtics coach Doc Rivers, Pierce transformed himself into an offensive force and unquestioned leader.

When the Celtics acquired Allen, who was inducted to the Hall in 2018, and Garnett in 2007, the franchise became an instant contender, winning the title in 2008 and reaching Game 7 in 2010, where they lost to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

Pierce’s tenure ended in Boston when president of basketball operations Danny Ainge traded him and Garnett to the Nets in June 2013 and began a franchise rebuild. Pierce signed a one-day contract with the Celtics in 2017 and announced his retirement.