Photo Credit: jerseygirlsports.com
Ray Allen Went Golfing During Paul Pierce’s Jersey Retirement
Last night, Paul Pierce had his jersey retired in Boston. It was a very important event for the Celtics legend and a lot of his former teammates showed up to support and honor the Truth.
Among them, Rajon Rondon and Kevin Garnett, Robert Parish, Antoine Walker and former coach Doc Rivers.
'08 Champs in the building! 🏆
(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/XbW8D66kxe
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 11, 2018
One key member of the 2008 Champions was missing though. Ray Allen! As usual, he was not included and went golfing with George Lopez instead.
This feud dates back to when Ray Allen sigend with the Miami Heat. Allen also wasn’t part of the championship reunion vacation that Rajon Rondo planned and hosted. All of the other 3 members of the Big 4, still have hard feelings towards Allen, because he joined the Miami Heat in 2012-13. Rondo said:
“I don’t know a good analogy to put this in. It just wasn’t the greatest separation. It wasn’t the greatest thing that could’ve happened to us as a team, a bond. We were at war with those guys. To go with the enemy, that’s unheard of in sports. Well, it’s not so unheard of. It’s damn near common now.
The mindset we had. The guys on our team. You wouldn’t do anything like that. It makes you question that series in the Finals … Who were you for? You didn’t bleed green. People think we had a messed-up relationship. It’s not the greatest. But it’s not just me. I called and reached out to a couple of other vets and asked them what they wanted to do with the situation. They told me to stick with what we got.”
Rondo added that he would have given Allen an invite, if other members of the team wanted him to. Apparently that did not happen, because former Celtics captain Paul Pierce and Ray Allen haven’t talked since Allen left for Miami.
Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce then also explained why Ray Allen was not included in the reunion.
When Ray Allen left the Celtics to join their rivals, the Miami Heat, he didn’t let his teammates know personally. Garnett and Pierce still are dissapointed by that and haven’t spoken to Allen ever sine.
Garnett said:
“People don’t understand that this is real life for us. The situation with Ray is very sensitive. I think when we all talked about doing this reunion tour, we was talking about guys that we consider loyal, part of this group. Just being honest — my two cent, man. When Ray decided to go to the Heat, I felt like he moved on. He went to pursue another ring. He got another ring — shout to him. And that’s it.”
Pierce added:
“I was initially hurt by the whole way everything went down. Like, I don’t have no beef with none of my teammates. I was just hurt on how it went down. We all came together, we talked about it. We talked everyday. We hung out all the time and then, when it was time for free agency — and to each his own — but I thought we formed a brotherhood here in Boston. That’s what I was hurt about when Ray didn’t at least give us a heads up about it.”
