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Ray Allen has finally reached the end of the road. After 19 seasons playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle Sonics, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, Ray Allen will officially retire.
In a figurative letter to a 13-year-old Jesus Shuttlesworth for The Players’ Tribune Tuesday, Allen explained how his hard work helped him become not only the Hall of Fame basketball player that he was, but also an overall successful and satisfied human being.
You will become far more than just a basketball player. You’ll get to act in movies. You’ll travel the world. You will become a husband, and the father of five amazing children. Now, the most important question in your life isn’t, “Who am I supposed to be?” or even, “What do I have to do to win another championship?” It’s, “Daddy, guess what happened in math class today?” That’s the reward that awaits you at the end of your journey.Go to the court. Stay at the court. Get your work in, young fella. Most people will never really get to know the real you. But they’ll know your work.
Not only does Allen have the most recognizable, picture-perfect shot in the history of the game, but he also was the star of the most iconic basketball movie of a generation. His career will always be defined by the pair of championships he won with the Celtics in 2008 and the Heat in 2013.
His shot to save the Heat in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals is one of the iconic plays in the history of the game and will define his era.
Allen hit a record 2,973 threes, even hitting the three in front of Reggie Miller to take the all-time three-point crown from him. Although Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are on pace to catch him, Allen was the defining shooter of the beginning of the 21st century that paved the way for the Splash Brothers and great shooters of this three-point era.