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Paul Pierce made it official Thursday, re-signing with the Boston Celtics and hoped one day to retire from the team where he has spent his entire NBA career.

"I never thought once about leaving the Celtics," Pierce said, explaining he opted out of the final year of his contract to help the Celtics attract some new players and insure he would be with the club even longer.

"I wanted this team to get better, knowing we didn't win a championship. ... Also, I wanted to ensure that I had a chance to retire as a Celtic," said Pierce, who signed a four-year deal.

Since losing the NBA finals in seven games to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Celtics have re-signed Ray Allen, who will be 35 on Tuesday, to a two-year contract and gave free agent center-forward Jermaine O'Neal, 31, a two-year deal.

Kevin Garnett, 34, also has two years left on his contract. Those three, plus 32-year-old Pierce have a total of 54 seasons of NBA experience. - Agence France Presse

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