Former Celtics great Paul Pierce was so confident in his team in Game 2 against the Knicks, he said he would walk to work barefoot “in my robe” if they lost for a second straight game in the second-round series.
“If the Celtics lose Game 2 at home, I promise you, I am walking here tomorrow,” he declared on an FS1 show Wednesday. “I guarantee this one. Put the house on this game.”
That didn't turn out so great. The Celtics blew a 20-point lead in Game 2, as they did in Game 1, and lost 91-90.
Pierce appeared to honor his vow Thursday, saying he set out before the sun rose for what he said was a 20.2-mile commute to work in the Los Angeles area. He posted updates on Instagram Live. Pierce made the wise choice of not walking barefoot, but bath-robed? Yes.
“All right, time for me to get to steppin’,” he said after 5 a.m. Pacific time, calling himself a “man of my word.”
“I cant believe the Celtics got me out here like this, dog,” he said in a later update. “I’m really walking out here like this.”
A little before 9 a.m., Pierce posted another Live of a couple of hecklers on the sidewalk.
“You lost that bet, huh?” one of them said.
Pierce took it all in stride, having some fun with them. He said he was about halfway at that point.
He posted another video saying he arrived to work at around 1 p.m.
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Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) and guard Jaylen Brown (7) talk during the second half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series against the New York Knicks, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
FILE - Former NBA basketball player Paul Pierce smiles watching warmups before an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Chicago Bulls, Nov. 14, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo, file)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is meeting with oil executives at the White House on Friday in hopes of securing $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s ability to fully tap into its expansive reserves of petroleum — a plan that rides on their comfort in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.
Since the U.S. military raid to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has quickly pivoted to portraying the move as a newfound economic opportunity for the U.S., seizing tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, saying the U.S. is taking over the sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan oil and will be controlling sales worldwide indefinitely.
On Friday, U.S. forces seized their fifth tanker over the past month that has been linked to Venezuelan oil. The action reflected the determination of the U.S. to fully control the exporting, refining and production of Venezuelan petroleum, a sign of the Trump administration's plans for ongoing involvement in the sector as it seeks commitments from private companies.
It's all part of a broader push by Trump to keep gasoline prices low. At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.
The meeting, set for 2:30 p.m. EST, will be open to the news media, according to an update to the president's daily schedule. “At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.
Trump is set to meet with executives from 17 oil companies, according to the White House. Among the companies attending are Chevron, which still operates in Venezuela, and ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, which both had oil projects in the country that were lost as part of a 2007 nationalization of private businesses under Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez.
The president is meeting with a wide swath of domestic and international companies with interests ranging from construction to the commodity markets. Other companies slated to be at the meeting include Halliburton, Valero, Marathon, Shell, Singapore-based Trafigura, Italy-based Eni and Spain-based Repsol.
Large U.S. oil companies have so far largely refrained from affirming investments in Venezuela as contracts and guarantees need to be in place. Trump has suggested on social media that America would help to backstop any investments.
Venezuela’s oil production has slumped below one million barrels a day. Part of Trump's challenge to turn that around will be to convince oil companies that his administration has a stable relationship with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez, as well as protections for companies entering the market.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are slated to attend the oil executives meeting, according to the White House.
Meanwhile, the United States and Venezuelan governments said Friday they were exploring the possibility of r estoring diplomatic relations between the two countries, and that a delegation from the Trump administration arrived to the South American nation on Friday.
The small team of U.S. diplomats and diplomatic security officials traveled to Venezuela to make a preliminary assessment about the potential re-opening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the State Department said in a statement.
Trump also announced on Friday he’d meet with President Gustavo Petro in early February, but called on the Colombian leader to make quick progress on stemming flow of cocaine into the U.S.
Trump, following the ouster of Maduro, had made vague threats to take similar action against Petro. Trump abruptly changed his tone Wednesday about his Colombian counterpart after a friendly phone call in which he invited Petro to visit the White House.
President Donald Trump waves as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
