WATCH: ’08 Celtics squad bares dispute with Ray Allen
In case you missed it,some members of the 2008-2009 Boston Celtics Championship team reunited on Tuesday during a special episode of Kevin Garnett’s TNT show, Area 21.
Among those in attendance were his former squad mates Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Glen “Big Baby” Davis and Kendrick Perkins.
The nostalgic crew discussed some of their good old days—including some not so good ones—particularly their estranged relationship with the team’s sharpshooter Ray Allen.
Ahead of 2012-13 season, Allen left Beantown in favor of the LeBron James-led Miami Heat, which was considered Boston’s fiercest rival at the time.
Four years later, the group shared how the incident left a a sour taste in their mouths.
“The situation with Ray is very sensitive,” the vocal leader Garnett initiated the conversation. “When Ray decided to go to the Heat, I felt like he moved on. He went to pursue another ring and he got another ring and shout out to him.”
Pierce, on the other hand, stressed that the lack of communication was the thing that bothered him the most.
“I was initially hurt by the whole way everything went down,” the recently retired forward admitted. “I thought we formed a brotherhood here in Boston. Just how we carried ourselves, not only on the court, but off the court. And I just figured if it was me leaving or KG leaving, then I would have been like, ‘Rondo, Perk, Baby, this is what I’ve been thinking about.’ That’s what I was hurt by when Ray didn’t just at least give us a heads-up about it.”
The often reserved Perkins, meanwhile, bared how their team’s relationship was, in fact, bigger than basketball.
“I just feel like, it ain’t what Ray did, it’s how he did it,” Perkins chimed in. “I feel like that’s what caused the problem. We did form a family. We all shed tears together, talked about some of the deepest things—I’m talking about outside of basketball that the world don’t know about. If you felt like you wanted to go that way and (sign with the Heat), I just think he could have handled it a different way.”
For his part, Allen has remained mum about the complicated relationship he now has with his former teammates.
Shortly after the episode aired, the NBA’s leader in career three pointers made posted a photo of himself as a member of the Heat, while carrying a ball over Rondo’s shoulder.
The post has since been deleted, and was captioned, “The power to push limits.” Khristian Ibarrola /ra
The night after the 2008 Celtics mini reunion on Area 21, Ray Allen selects an interesting Facebook photo. pic.twitter.com/oymsh2Vp9M
— Chris Forsberg (@ESPNForsberg) May 9, 2017
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