"Go cheat on her" - Paul Pierce's only way to find out if a woman really loves you
- NBA legend Paul Pierce suggests that cheating on a partner is a way to test their love, a controversial viewpoint that has sparked debate among fans and co-hosts.
Trying to build a real, genuine and deep romantic relationship is a struggle for NBA players.
It does not matter whether they are stars or role players; finding the right partner is something most of them struggle with, mostly because of the constant traveling and not being at home during the NBA season. Because when it comes to the gamble of love, they are often dealt bad cards.
To avoid this, NBA legend Paul Pierce developed what he believes is a litmus test to help people determine whether a relationship is real.
"If you really want to know if a girl love you, you need to go out and cheat on her," Pierce said on "The Truth After Dark" podcast. "Let's see. If you really want to know if a girl love you for real, go cheat on her and see how she react. Now we gonna see what's real."
Pierce defended his take
Of course, no matter how you look at it, Pierce's advice is insane. Traditionally, relationships are rooted in the core principle of fidelity, not the other way around and determining how much one loves the other is how they stick to that principle, especially in the face of temptation.
Pierce's co-host on the podcast called him out for this exact same reason, saying that women do not deserve to go through such hurt.
"Stop trying to tell young men to go cheat on their women to test them," Azard Farideh said. "Like that's the worst advice you can give… Women don't deserve to struggle just to have love."
However, Pierce doubled down on his take and his defense astounded Farideh.
"Listen, even Jesus tested Abraham…or was it…he took his family and he tested his faith. He tested his love. It was Job. He tested Job, like he wanted to see his love. So, I'm just saying I wanted to see the love," he explained.
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A new piece of wisdom on cheating
Through the years, numerous NBA players have weighed in on cheating. They are bonded by the same challenge of having immense wealth and fame. There is Shaquille O'Neal, who believes that some men are forced to cheat because their partner does not take care of them.
Meanwhile, Gilbert Arenas, who had his fair share of cheating issues, said lying to their wives about this is part of the job. He even claimed that it is on their significant other to try and "catch the lie." It has become so normalized that the wife of Andrei Kirilenko gave him an annual cheating pass .
Now, Pierce, whose marriage ended in 2023 and believes marriage is for old and poor people, is advocating to use it in a personal way that can help them sift through all the fakes, paving the way for him to build a real relationship.
"Tell my girl imma be in this club, but imma be with some work. Let's see how she react. When she walk in and the girl is on my lap or something. If she whoop her ass, she love you. She walk out of there and hold your hand, she love you," he said.
Having a real and deep relationship is a struggle for most NBA players, with some people only after their money and fame. Some stars are able to resist this temptation.
However, more often than not, a majority of players fail to honor their commitment and embrace cheating. The Truth is one of them and now, he is telling people it could help them in the long run, which is perhaps one of the worst relationship advice of all time.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Mar 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
