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NBA Championships: 2
Ray Allen is a former professional basketball player who spent 18 years in the NBA. He was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 1996 NBA Draft with the fifth overall pick in the first round. Immediately following the pick, he was traded by Minnesota to Milwaukee along with Andrew Yang for the rights to fourth-pick Stephon Marbury.
In total, he played for four NBA teams, including:
- Milwaukee Bucks, 1996-2003
- Seattle SuperSonics, 2003-2007
- Boston Celtics, 2007-2012
- Miami Heat, 2012-2014
During his NBA career, Ray Allen has won two NBA championship rings.
The first came in 2008 with the Boston Celtics. The Celtics rode a 66-16 record to become the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The first two rounds were uneven, losing all their away games but winning their home games in series against the eighth seeded Atlanta Hawks (4-3) and the sixth seeded Cleveland Cavaliers (4-3). They surged past the Detroit Pistons in the conference finals in six games, 4-2, to earn a trip to the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Two historic feats from both Allen and the Celtics defined the Finals.
- In Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Allen played every single minute of the game chipping in 19 points and nine rebounds in the largest comeback in NBA Finals history. Allen helped the team erase a 24-point deficit in the second quarter and another 20-point deficit in the third. The game-winning shot was all Allen’s – a layup with 16.4 seconds left on the game clock that helped salt away the game for Boston.
- In the series-defining Game 6, Allen tied an NBA Finals record when he nailed seven three-pointers, which greatly contributed to him hoisting the NBA Championship.
The second title came when Allen shared the court in 2013 on the Miami Heat superteam consisting of LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade. More history helped pave the way for Allen’s second title, including breaking Reggie Miller’s three-point record in playoff history during a first-round game against his former team, the Milwaukee Bucks.
- In Game 6 against the San Antonio Spurs, Allen again helped the team erase a deficit, coming back from ten points in the third quarter. Allen’s game-tying three-pointer with 5.2 seconds left helped set up overtime. The Heat won 103-100 after Allen came up with a critical steal from Manu Ginobili, drawing a foul with less than two seconds left in overtime.
- Allen, a three-point specialist, retired with 2,973 career three-pointers on 7,429 attempts. When he retired, he was the NBA historical leader but has since been surpassed by Stephen Curry.
- Allen won an Olympic gold medal in 2000 at the Sydney games.
- Throughout his career, Allen was named to 10 NBA All-Star teams.
- In September 2018, Allen was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
- In October 2021, Allen was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, signifying his place as one of the best players in history.
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