In 2008, the Boston Celtics trio of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen ruled the NBA with an iron hand. But behind the scenes, their friendship hasn’t always been smooth, especially with Allen’s departure from Beantown.
In a recent interview on the “Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz”, Pierce pulled back the curtain on some of the lingering tensions from that era and shed light on Allen’s move to the Miami Heat in 2012.
“This is what I did hear, and it’s about Ray Allen, and I’m not even sure if it’s true,” Pierce began, hinting at some inside info about Allen’s Miami-bound journey. “Before the series was over, we heard Ray Allen was already looking for houses in Miami,” Pierce said. “While we were trying to beat them to go to the championship, he didn’t tell us, warn us, or give us a phone call.”
Allen and Pierce shared the court for five seasons, making the playoffs and winning the NBA crown in 2008. After losing to the Heat in the 2011-12 Eastern Conference Finals, Allen went south and joined Miami as a free agent. In 2013, he won his second ring while Pierce and the Celtics were eliminated early in the playoffs.
“It was a sense of betrayal,” Pierce added. “That’s why we didn’t talk to Ray or reach out to him for a couple of years.”
The rift between Allen and his former teammates lasted for years and made headlines. But in 2022, the trio buried the hatchet during a retirement ceremony for Celtics jersey Kevin Garnett.