BOSTON (Reuters) - The Boston Celtics have re-signed team captain and forward Paul Pierce and added former Miami Heat big man Jermaine O'Neal, the team said Thursday.
Pierce, 32, said he hoped the signings and others this summer would help the Celtics make another run at an NBA title that alluded them this year. The Celtics lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in game seven of the NBA finals.
"I'm thrilled that they (team officials) kept the core intact and look forward to getting back on the parquet with my teammates so we can bring Banner 18 home to Boston," Pierce said in a statement on the team's website (www.nba.com/celtics).
The 2008 NBA finals MVP is the Celtics' third all-time leading scorer with 19,899 points. He trails only Larry Bird and John Havlicek.
"Paul has been a cornerstone of our franchise for the last decade and we could not be more pleased that he is returning to the team," said Celtics president Danny Ainge.
Pierce averaged 18.3 points in making his eighth All-Star team.
O'Neal, 31, has spent 14 seasons in the NBA. He played in 70 games with the Heat last season, averaging 13.6 points.
"His talents are an excellent complement to our core roster," Ainge said.
(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina; editing by Justin Palmer
