Ray Allen ruffled some feathers in 2012 when he left the Boston Celtics to sign with the Miami Heat.
Almost five years later, several former teammates still are stewing about his abrupt exit, to the point where it sounds like Allen never will be able to rejoin his old pals’ circle of trust.
Several ex-Celtics players reunited Monday night on Kevin Garnett’s “Area 21” segment as part of TNT’s NBA playoff coverage, and Allen, who wasn’t in attendance, soon became a topic of discussion. Both Garnett and Paul Pierce — who formed Boston’s “Big Three” alongside Allen — discussed why their fellow All-Star’s departure was such a bad breakup, and Glen “Big Baby” Davis doubled down Wednesday on FS1’s “Undisputed” by suggesting Allen “dug his own grave” with the Celtics.
Davis, who played four seasons in Boston from 2007 to 2011, wasn’t a high-profile star like his “Big Three” teammates, but he still won an NBA championship alongside Allen in 2008 and therefore can relate to the betrayal felt by Garnett and Pierce, among others. After all, Allen didn’t join just any team. He joined the Heat, a fellow Eastern Conference contender with its own “Big Three” comprised of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
Of course, you could argue the whole thing is rather petty, especially with it being nearly half a decade since Allen bolted for South Beach. The Celtics’ 2008 championship-winning team prided itself on Ubuntu, though, so perhaps we shouldn’t be stunned by the lingering animosity.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
