Former Boston Celtics star shooting guard and 2008 NBA Finals champion Ray Allen joined the list of notable public figures to vocalize their disapproval of the offensive commentary made by music icon Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.
West, who has recently skyrocketed to relevancy due to his remarks made against the Jewish community, has burned an abundance of bridges. From his affiliation with fashion brands such as Adidas and Balenciaga to his representation of athletes such as Aaron Donald (Los Angeles Rams) and Jaylen Brown, West has put about everything on the line at the expense of his relationships that have propelled him on the business end.
Allen, who played 18 seasons in the NBA and has publicized his empathy for those within the Jewish community, didn’t hold back on social media when taking a stance against West.
“I see all the Kanye BS, like, he’s an idiot,” Allen said, according to TMZ. “I try my best to just kind of push positivity and encouragement to people in the world so we just have to be careful. Every time we pick up our phones, a lot of times we wanna feel good, laugh and joke but a lot of times, we’re seeing negative stories in our media. So, we gotta be careful who we’re letting into our atmosphere because it can become depressing with everything that’s going on around the world.”
In 2017, the 47-year-old, Allen, made a trip to Auschwitz in Poland — a trip which the retired NBA star expanded on in detail for The Players Tribune titled, “Why I Went to Auschwitz.”
“This is not history,” Allen wrote. “This is humanity. This is now. This is a living lesson for us as a people.”
Allen, who underwent a semi-ugly departure from the Celtics following the end of his run in 2012, has always displayed his maturity and classy demeanor, with this merely serving as a prime example.
