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A key member of the Boston Celtics‘ 2008 NBA championship team and Hall of Famer was involved in an accident over the weekend. Ray Allen, who spent five years in Beantown as part of the Celtics’ Big 3 before his controversial exit, was injured in a bike crash near his home on Saturday.
Allen, who just celebrated his 46th birthday, took to Instagram to reveal that the crash had occurred. In addition to giving all the details on what transpired, the 10-time All-Star posted multiple pictures showing his injuries.
He also included a picture of his damaged helmet, which he believes may have saved his life.
“Thank God for my helmet because as you can see in the picture my head hit the ground and I didn’t even realize it,” he wrote.
“My helmet saved me from a far worse fate.”
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Allen Describes the Scene
According to Allen, he was in his neighborhood and approaching the end of his bike ride when a car pulled up behind him. As he was attempting to move out of the vehicle’s way, the former Celtic lost sight of the road, as well as an obstruction in front of him.
“I sped up to get out of the way. As I looked back behind me, the car was gone, but the minute I turned my head back to what was in front of me, it was too late,” he wrote.
“I ran over a tree branch that was in the road and my front wheel went haywire and threw me from the bike.”
Allen hit the ground with his face, shoulder and hip catching the brunt of the impact. He then proceeded to walk 100 yards back to his house “in shock.” Upon his arrival, the two-time NBA champion lost his breath and “almost passed out.” His wife quickly took him to the hospital to make sure he didn’t have any internal bleeding.
Per Allen, X-rays and testing did not reveal any major injuries.
“I didn’t want to post this at first because no one wants to show their missteps in life,” Allen added. “But as you get older, you learn that life isn’t always about being cool or perfect. … More importantly, I had to post this as a reminder for everyone to please wear your helmets when you ride!”
The Latest in a String of Bike Accidents
Allen is just the latest former NBA star to be involved in some kind of biking accident in recent months. And he was much more fortunate than the others.
In January, Shawn Bradley — who played 12 years with the 76ers, Nets and Mavericks — was struck by a car while biking near his home in St. George, Utah. The 49-year-old was left paralyzed as a result of his injuries.
Four months later, Utah Jazz legend Mark Eaton died within a block of his Park City home while on a neighborhood bike ride. The two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year was 64.
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Former Celtics Star, NBA Champion Injured in Biking Accident