Most people are used to seeing their favourite athletes on the cover of sports magazines, dressed either in game jerseys or warm-up clothes.

Not everyone, though, can picture a basketball superstar on the cover of a culture journal, much less one that counts New York City as its place of circulation.

Enter Brooklyn Nets forward Paul Pierce, who takes his talents to Long Island after a long stint in Boston, the self-proclaimed Hub Of The Universe. One of his first acts as a Net was to give an interview to Lindsay Silberman of Du Jour Magazine, a publication that targets an affluent, well-heeled market.

Pierce walked the red carpet, dressed in a suit and tie, at The Palm-Tribeca Steakhouse on Monday night in an event honoring his interview. He discussed the budding rivalry between the Nets and their in-city opponents and competitor for fans, the New York Knicks, and his work ethic at practice. He also discussed fatherhood, game-day superstitions, his admiration for Hall of Fame guard Magic Johnson, and the big-ticket trade that sent him down the East Coast.

Du Jour Magazine had two covers featuring Pierce, one with him wearing a hand-knit sweater from Todd Snyder and a $95,400 Patek Philippe watch, and another with him dribbling a ball in a local blacktop court, wearing a Lanvin top coat priced at $4,150 and a Nautilus Chronograph watch that retails for $51,000.

On Wednesday, two days after the Du Jour event, Pierce and former Celtics teammate Kevin Garnett traveled to Boston for a preseason game against their former team. However, both did not play, choosing instead to hang out in some of their "favourite restaurants." Point guard Deron Williams also sat out the game, being hobbled by an ankle injury sustained in training camp. His date of return is still unclear as new coach Jason Kidd says that he will most probably miss the start of the NBA season.