Getty Former Miami Heat star sniper Ray Allen was invaluable during his two seasons in South Beach.
Ray Allen is thankful to the inventor of bicycle helmets after surviving a vicious crash that left him bloodied. The two-time NBA champion was lucky to walk away unscathed, but not after a precautionary trip to the hospital.
Allen took to Instagram on Sunday to relay the horrific story and described running over a tree branch before being tossed violently off his bike. He landed on his face, shoulder, hip while earning a few scars from the spill. Luckily, there was no internal bleeding and X-rays were negative. The former Miami Heat star felt a need to share the incident as a way to encourage people to wear helmets when going out for casual bike rides.
“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,” Allen wrote. “I didn’t want to post this at first because no one wants to show their missteps in life, but as you get older, you learn that life isn’t always about being cool or perfect. It is ok to be vulnerable! More importantly, I had to post this as a reminder for everyone to please wear your helmets when you ride!”
Allen only spent two seasons in South Beach but his role in bringing home the franchise’s third championship was vital. His amazing game-tying three-pointer in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals forced overtime. The Heat won Game 6 103-101, then finished off the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7.
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Allen Respected Leader of 2013 Heat
Allen may have been entering LeBron James’ locker room when the Heat signed him in 2012 but that didn’t stop The King from deferring to his veteran leadership. In fact, the entire Big Three went out of their way to make sure how much they appreciated both Allen and Juwan Howard.
“It was great because they truly respected my voice,” Allen said, via Essentially Sports. “They deferred to me a lot, asking my opinion. There was a great appreciation for myself and Juwan Howard. That right there allows you to have a space where you know you’re respected so you can just come and do your job. It was a great work environment.”
Allen averaged 10.3 points and shot 39.8% from three-point range in two seasons for Miami. The 10-time All-Star stepped into a bench role – 26.1 per game – and never complained about it. He was the definition of true professional and James still thanks him for hitting “that shot” in 2013.
This week’s episode of Bleav in the Miami Heat drops Thursday AM. Here’s a quick preview segment with @pg30_Cole telling his view of the legendary Ray Allen 3 pointer in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals.
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Boston Celtics Still Hold Grudge
The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat were fierce rivals in the early 2010s. So when Allen rejected a two-year, $12 million to re-up in Beantown to join the Big Three in South Beach, there were some hurt feelings. Former Celtics general manager Danny Ainge told reporters in 2020 that the decision might affect whether Allen gets his number retired in Boston.
“Sure, sure that’ll have some impact,” Ainge said, via Heat Nation. “These are not my decisions. So if someone asks my opinion on this, I’ll weigh in at the appropriate time.”
Remember, Allen spent five seasons in Celtics green and won a title up there in 2008. The Heat and Celtics faced off three straight times in the postseason during the Big Three’s run, including once in the Eastern Conference Finals (2012). Miami is 13-10 all-time versus Boston in the playoffs.