NBA News: Ray Allen Retires From Professional Basketball at Age 41; Highlights of His Career HERE!
Ray Allen has just announced his retirement from professional basketball after playing 18 seasons in the NBA with Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle Sonics, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. The 41-year-old Allen wrote a letter to his younger self on the website The Players' Tribune Tuesday that officially hung up his sneakers more than two years after his last game.
According to "New York Daily News", Allen is the number one three-pointer in NBA's history and won championships in Boston and Miami. He averaged 18.9 points, 1,300 career regular-season games and played in 10 All-Star Games. Allen scored 24,505 points, grabbed 5,272 rebounds, and made 4,361 assists.
In his letter, Ray Allen posted "I write this to you today as a 41-year-old man who is retiring from the game." The Players' Tribune series invites athletes to offer their reflections on lessons learned from their relationships, careers and finance. The letter is addressed to the 13-year-old Allen.
Previous reports hinted at the possible return of Ray Allen to professional basketball. In July 2016, "Sports Illustrated" noted that Allen's representatives had meetings with the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. The San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers were also considered by Allen.
But nothing materialized from those rumors, although the doors remained open for Allen's comeback. Title-contending teams were reported courting Allen, but he didn't say yes to any of the team.
Several publications paid tribute to Ray Allen's retirement from the sports. The "USA Today" and ESPN describe him as "one of the greatest pure shooters to ever play the game of basketball." Yahoo Sports highlighted Allen's reputation as a "tireless worker who kept his body and shot mechanics in peak form."
Ray Allen advised his young self to get his work in. He concluded in his letter that people would forget to know the "real you." But he added that these people would "know your work."
