Ray Allen may have been in Cleveland during Monday’s horrific events, but the Boston Marathon tragedy hit close to home for the guard who called Boston home for five years.
When he was with the Celtics, Allen went to the marathon several times as his mother has run it three times and his wife has completed it twice. On Wednesday, the NBA star told reporters there was no doubt in his mind where he would have been had he not signed with Miami in the offseason.
“We would have been sitting at the finish line, me and my whole family, waiting on my mom and my wife. … They would have been running if we were in Boston,” Allen said. “So that presented some anxiety when I thought about it.”
His anxiety wasn’t limited to what could have been, however, as Allen has personal ties with many victims of the attack.
“We have a family friend that was there, that ran the marathon, and she’s in intensive care now because she lost her leg,” Allen said Wednesday night before the Heat game. “A good friend of mine, one of the managers of his restaurant, the 29-year-old [Krystle Campbell] that was killed, was his manager. And his assistant chef, I don’t know if he said he lost both his legs or one, but he got hit pretty hard and he’s dealing with that now.”
Allen spoke to his friend Patrick Lyons, the owner of the restaurant Campbell managed, and suggested that he run the race in her honor next year.
“I told him next year, it’s going to be a great thing for you to run for her,” Allen said. “I believe when he thought about it, that’s a pretty good idea. I’d imagine next year, the number of people running the marathon will double.”
Prior to their game Wednesday night, the Heat paid their respects to Boston by presenting the marathon logo on their scoreboards and displaying the American flag over midcourt for a moment of silence.
