Ray Allen showed up at TD Garden on Saturday, but not to check in on his “Ubuntu” squad; they are probably still frowning at him. He was there for a personal milestone. During UConn men’s basketball’s clash with No. 7 BYU, Allen got the royal halftime treatment: a custom orange jacket sporting a Hall of Fame patch and logos from UConn plus all four of his pro stops. Naturally, Celtics fans couldn’t resist flashing the usual perennial question, which perhaps the other members of the Ubuntu crew can answer…

When asked if the Celtics would retire his jersey and whether he ever thinks about it, Ray Allen simply expressed his helplessness. He said, “I don’t. You know, I’ve… I have my number retired at UConn, the first place to have my jersey retired. It’s such a special honor. It’s like making a Hall of Fame. It’s not, it’s out of your control. It’s past my, I’ve done everything I can, tried to lead with integrity, be honorable in my pursuits to play this game, and leave the game in a better place from when I left it. And that’s all you can control.”

Ray Allen’s Hall of Fame induction in 2018 cemented his place among basketball’s immortals, but the lingering question of his Celtics jersey in the rafters still hangs over Boston. After leading the team to the 2008 championship, the debate is fueled by the fact that he left in 2012. Still, Allen sees it differently. “People look at how I left, but I look at how I lived while I was [in Boston],” he said earlier.

“That to me is the most important time in my life because I had never won. And I was able to win. And that’s probably the most important thing that I want people to remember is the time that we spent together.” Five years, 798 threes, a Finals record eight 3-pointers in Game 2 against the Lakers, his legacy in green is undeniable.

Over 358 games in Boston, Allen averaged 16.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, carving a name in Celtics lore alongside legends. Yet some tension lingered. Teammates, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce have been feeling a sting of betrayal ever since Allen left for Miami.

In his autobiography From the Outside: My Journey Through Life and the Game I Love, Allen explained his reasoning bluntly: “So let me see if I got this straight. You want to pay me less money. You want to bring me off the bench. You want to continue to run the offense around [Rajon] Rondo. Now tell me again exactly why I would want to sign this contract?”

The Celtics’ offer of $12 million over two years fell far short of Allen’s ask of $24 million over three, leading him to settle on a two-year, $6 million deal with the Heat. Still, despite the exit drama, Allen’s time in Boston was magical. If Garnett’s jersey sits up there, many wonder why not Allen’s?

From ‘Big Three’ bros to silent feuds: The Kevin Garnett-Ray Allen fallout

When Ray Allen joined the Celtics in 2007, he became part of the fabled “Ubuntu Crew” alongside Paul Pierce and, shortly after, Kevin Garnett. Allen even switched to jersey number 20 because Pierce already had 34, signaling the start of Boston’s Big Three era. Fast forward to 2012… and Garnett publicly called out “Ray-Ray” after Allen left for the Miami Heat, deleting his number and giving him the silent treatment. From KG’s viewpoint, it stung.

As captain, KG had built the Celtics on loyalty and sweat, so seeing Allen join the so-called Heatles chasing a ring felt like a personal betrayal. Allen, of course, had a different lens. When Kevin’s jersey was retired, he admitted, “When [the jersey retirement] first [was announced], I was hesitant, not because I didn’t want to be here, but because I wasn’t sure Kevin wanted me here.” 

The rift lingered for years, with Paul Pierce also feeling blindsided. “I tried to call him and I didn’t get any return calls before he signed with Miami,” Pierce shared with Andscape. “That was our rival. We were brothers. We came in together. We just wanted a heads-up or a ‘what’s on your mind?’ or something like. Then, all of a sudden, he left. That was the biggest disappointment on my end. Not even getting a callback at that moment.”

KG eventually downplayed it in 2021, saying, “It’s not that big of a deal to me. I think Ray’s living his life. I’m living mine. That’s where I stand on it. I think if people wanted to do something, we would have done it by now. So it’s pretty obvious where we’re at…” But the message is clear: while Garnett might not be ready to make the first move, he isn’t exactly rushing to burn bridges either.

So was it betrayal, or what?

Garnett might not be ready to forgive fully, Pierce certainly wasn’t thrilled, and Allen? Well, he’s living his life, leaving fans to wonder whether the Big Three bond was unbreakable or just one with an expiration date.

Interestingly, though, the unvalued Celt, back in 2014, did mention that the Heat trade was just him trying to put himself “in the best situation possible.”