Allen proved he had game in 18 seasons
MIAMI— Ray Allen won championships in Boston and Miami, made one of the most memorable shots in NBA final history and has more three-pointers than anyone who ever played in the league.
More than two years after his last game, he’s decided that was enough.
Allen announced his retirement Tuesday in a post on The Players’ Tribune website. Allen spent 18 seasons in the league with Milwaukee, Seattle, the Celtics and the Heat, averaging 18.9 points in 1,300 career regular-season games and appearing in 10 all-star games.
“I write this to you today as a 41year-old man who is retiring from the game,” Allen said in his post, which was in the form of a letter to his younger self. “I write to you as a man who is completely at peace with himself.”
Allen entertained thoughts about a comeback over the last two years and had plenty of opportunities from title-contending teams. But nothing ever lured him back, although the door always remained a tiny bit open — until now.
“Basketball will take you far away from that school yard,” Allen wrote. “You will become far more than just a basketball player. You’ll get to act in movies. You’ll travel the world. You will become a husband, and the father of five amazing children.”
Raptors coach Dwane Casey, an assistant at Seattle for three seasons when Allen played there, had fond memories of the sharp shooter.
“I was around and if I was going to be there, I would rebound for him, but he’s one of those guys, he’d rather be in the gym by himself than with any coaches around,” Casey said.
“Now we’d be there after practice to rebound for him, but he’d get there at like 2:30 in the afternoon at the arena and freak out if the arena wasn’t available for him to shoot and he’d go get a random janitor or ballboy and bring him in, give him some money to help him rebound.”
Allen starred in the 1998 Spike Lee film He Got Game, portraying Jesus Shuttlesworth, a top-ranked basket- ball prospect, whose father (played by Denzel Washington) is in prison for killing his wife. On the court, teammates and coaches raved about Allen’s famed work ethic and commitment to fitness — which now takes a different form, after he and his wife, Shannon, recently opened an organic fast-casual restaurant in Miami.
Allen was almost always on the floor for a workout three hours before games, shooting on some occasions before the arena lights were even turned on.
“He’s got to make a certain number of shots at this basket, a certain number at this spot, a certain number at this spot and that’s why he’s going to go down in history as one of the alltime great three-point shooters because he worked on it at game speed,” Casey said.
“He’s an ultimate, ultimate pro, first to the gym, last to leave every day.”
Allen had the record for threepointers in a season for seven years, his mark of 269 standing until Stephen Curry of Golden State made 272 in 2012-13 — a record Curry has topped twice.
In all, Allen made 2,973 threepointers in regular-season games, which doesn’t even count the one that was his most unforgettable.
His three from the right corner with 5.2 seconds left in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA final for Miami sent the Heat to overtime against the Spurs in a win-or-else game, and helped them go on to win the title in seven games. Chris Bosh got an offensive rebound and passed to Allen, who was backtracking toward the corner.
Allen, without even needing to look down to ensure that he was behind the line, elevated over Tony Parker and connected to tie the game — even as arena workers kneeled around the court, holding the rope that they presumed they would soon be called upon to cordon things off for the Spurs’ championship celebration.
On his way back to the bench to prepare for overtime, Allen gestured to those workers, shouting to put the rope away. With files from Doug Smith