Ray Allen leaving the Boston Celtics for the Miami Heat in 2012 enraged Kevin Garnett, who for years, refused to even speak with his former teammate.
That changed last year, when Garnett finally reconciled with Allen, as the two of them along with Paul Pierce, hugged it out during KG’s jersey retirement. Now, on the latest episode of Cold as Balls, Garnett explained why he ended the beef.
“The passing of Kobe (Bryant) and all of us getting older helped me understand that life is not given to none of us,” Garnett said. “It would have f****d with me if something were to happen to Ray and I didn’t get a chance to amend this.”
(starts at 12:53 mark):
The passing of the great Kobe Bryant in 2020 shook the NBA world tremendously. It really dawned on many that it was just not right to stay apart and try to forget the great memories they once shared with others due to petty reasons.
If Kobe and Shaquille O’Neal hadn’t squashed their beef before the former’s passing, one can only imagine how shattered Shaq would have been. He admitted that he still regrets not calling Bryant before his passing and he would have felt a lot worse than that if they hadn’t put aside their differences. For Garnett and Allen, hopefully, they remain on good terms for the rest of their long lives.
The Celtics’ Big 3 Era
The Celtics had been mired in mediocrity for decades before Allen and Garnett arrived via trade in 2007. Together with Pierce, they led the franchise to its first title since 1986 by beating Kobe’s Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals. At the time, it looked like they would dominate the league for years.
A season-ending injury to Garnett in February 2009 dashed their title hopes for that year though and in 2010, they would lose to Kobe and the Lakers in the Finals. LeBron James then formed his own Big 3 in Miami after that season and there was suddenly a new top dog in the Eastern Conference. They beat the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2012, a loss that signaled the end of the Big 3 era in Boston, as Allen then departed for the Heat.
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