Longtime sharpshooter Ray Allen, a star for the Bucks, Sonics (now the Thunder), Celtics and Heat, announced his official retirement from the NBA on Tuesday. Allen, 41, walked away from the game after the 2014 Finals, but occasionally surfaced in reports regarding a potential comeback with a contender. In particular, LeBron James wanted to add Allen to the Cavaliers. Allen announced his retirement in a letter to his younger self on the Players' Tribune.
"I write this to you today as a 41-year-old man who is retiring from the game," Allen wrote. "I write to you as a man who is completely at peace with himself."
Allen retires as a two-time NBA champion, a 10-time All-Star, and the career leader in regular-season and playoff 3-pointers made, a mark likely to last a few more Stephen Curry seasons. He also lives in the hearts of many fans as Jesus Shuttlesworth from the 1998 classic basketball film He Got Game.
While his days with the Bucks and Sonics were his most productive individually of his 19-year career, the 2007 trade from Seattle to the Celtics put him in the spotlight. Alongside Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, Allen formed the Big 3 in Boston, winning the 2008 NBA Finals -- the Celtics' first title since 1986.
Allen's run with the Celtics was prolific, though the team -- which looked like a potential dynasty -- was limited to the one championship. The Celtics returned to the Finals in 2010, but fell in seven games in a rematch with the Lakers after Kendrick Perkins went down with a torn ACL. Ex-Celtics coach Doc Rivers has maintained for years that a fully healthy starting five featuring Perkins never failed to win a title.
Over time, things soured with the Celtics, particularly with recalcitrant point guard Rajon Rondo. Eventually, Allen's role was diminished with age and the rise of Avery Bradley. In 2012, Allen surprisingly signed with the Celtics' rival, the Miami Heat. In Miami, he was part of one of the best teams of the decade, as the 2012-13 Heat went on a 27-game-winning streak and returned to the Finals vs. the Spurs.
In Game 6, Allen hit arguably the most famous shot in Finals history, opening the door for the Heat's Game 7 victory and his second title.
Allen and the Heat returned to the Finals in 2014, but with an aging roster and a Spurs team that shot the lights out, they lost, setting up James' departure in free agency back to Cleveland. It was widely speculated Allen would join him, but Allen waited it out. In the 2014 Finals, Allen -- known for his conditioning and work ethic -- was unsure if he would play again, but knew his body could hold up.
Eventually, though, Allen's desire waned. He goes down as one of the best shooters in league history, though the definition of "great shooter" is being challenged by Curry and Klay Thompson.
Allen touched on his unique personality in his essay in the Players' Tribune, writing how he often didn't go out with the other players to clubs or play cards on the plane, about how he spent much of his career alone, but also of how the work was proof of what he had given the game.
Allen is a sure-fire Hall of Famer and joins Garnett, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan among legends drafted in the late 1990s to retire this season. Allen averaged 18.9 points and 2.3 made 3-pointers on 40 percent shooting from beyond the arc for his career.
