The Boston Celtics have retired 22 numbers, more than any other organization and when they retire the jersey of 15-time All-Star Kevin Garnett in the 2020-21 season, that number will jump to 23.
Suffice it to say, they’re an organization known to pay homage to the players that helped bring them a league-high 17 NBA championships. However, while the Celtics will retire the jersey of two players who were the cornerstones of their last championship team, there’s a third member who may not receive that same honor.
Per Boston.com’s Jenna Ciccotelli, the Boston Celtics’ decision of whether or not to retire Ray Allen’s No. 20 jersey will be impacted by Allen’s decision to leave the Celtics for the Miami Heat in 2012.
To be fair, it makes perfect sense why Boston would have misgivings about retiring Allen’s number despite the role he played in bringing the Celtics a championship in 2008.
Despite Allen leaving four seasons after Boston won their championship, his exit from the Celtics left a sour taste in the mouth of many of his former teammates — most notably Garnett — and the fans as well. After all, Allen left for a team that defeated Boston in Game 7 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals; a move seen by many as defecting to enemy lines.
Unfortunately for Allen, it would appear that at least one of the franchise’s primary decision-makers was miffed by his departure as well.
Though team president and general manager Danny Ainge makes it clear he still has a positive relationship with Allen and an appreciation for the Hall of Fame shooting guard’s tenure with the Celtics, he says of a potential jersey retirement for Allen that “these are not my decisions.”
“So if someone asks my opinion on this, I’ll weigh in at the appropriate time. But this is [Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck]’s team and he gets to make those decisions.”
That said, it would appear that Grousbeck would be at least one of the members of the organization — and one with the most influence — who is against retiring Allen’s jersey.
In fact, with Celtics forward Gordon Hayward wearing the No. 20 jersey that used to be donned by Allen, there’s a chance that the team would prefer it for the number to remain active and another player to give them a reason to retire it.
Though the move may seem to be an act of retaliation, franchise’s often retire jerseys for the most respected members of the organization. Quite frankly, that description doesn’t apply to Allen, who has yet to get on speaking terms with notable players from the 2008 championship team, including Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins and Glen “Big Baby” Davis.
Allen and Paul Pierce, who was the last Celtics player to have his jersey retired in TD Garden, have buried the hatchet but that obviously doesn’t mean that others are.
There’s no rush to pay Allen a respect that quite a few would disagree with but, with the 10-time All-Star now enshrined in the Hall of Fame, there are worse things that could happen. Maybe the Heat will retire his jersey as a consolation, in respect for his efforts in bringing the team a championship in 2013, although the jerseys of players like LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem would have to be retired first.