Ray Allen was a noticeable absence during Paul Pierce’s retirement ceremony, and it appears there were a few reasons why.
Maybe the biggest of them being he wasn’t invited.
The disgraced ex-Boston Celtic has had a complicated relationship with Pierce and other former teammates like Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo since he left via free agency for the Miami Heat during the summer of 2012. And though the 2008 championship for the Celtics doesn’t happen without him, it is his exit that resonates most with many Celtics fans.
During Pierce’s retirement ceremony, Allen was seen golfing in Los Angeles with George Lopez, which fueled speculation that he flat-out skipped the ceremony. But the retired sharpshooter candidly told his side of things in an interview with Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy.
“Yeah, but I was never invited,” Allen said when asked if he wasn’t there was because of the animosity. “And I know people made a big deal about me playing golf with George Lopez, which was so funny to me because I had no idea that this whole thing was going on in Boston. I was in (Los Angeles) for an appearance that was scheduled two months earlier”
When Portnoy reiterated his question, saying Allen could have gone, but added that he simply wasn’t invited, Allen countered with this:
“Yeah, but that wasn’t the time to step in when Paul was having his night to then say ‘hey guys I’m here.’ That was about Paul, and I appreciate everything he’s done for that organization and how he’s been who he was to us and to the city. And there’s still people that are angry with me … and rightfully so you have the right to feel the way you feel. But I love that city, but I’ve gotten so much pushback it’s almost like what I did for you guys in ’08 and beyond meant nothing to anybody.”
Certainly interesting to hear his perspective.
Many Boston fans — fair or not — likely are reticent to welcome Allen back into their good graces, but in the full interview with Portnoy, you can get a pretty good scope of just how much his time in Boston meant to him.
