NBA: Finals-San Antonio Spurs at Miami HeatRay Allen, a star for the Bucks, Sonics (now the Thunder), Celtics and Heat, announced his official retirement from the NBA on Tuesday. Allen announced his retirement in a letter to his younger self on the Players’ Tribune.

“I write this to you today as a 41-year-old man who is retiring from the game,” Allen wrote. “I write to you as a man who is completely at peace with himself.”

Allen, who is 41-years-old, walked away from basketball after the 2014 Finals, but occasionally surfaced in reports regarding a potential comeback. Specifically, one report suggested that LeBron James wanted to add Allen to the Cavaliers.

Allen retires as a two-time NBA champion, the career leader in regular-season and playoff 3-pointers made, and a 10-time All-Star. He also is remembered fondly by many fans as Jesus Shuttlesworth from the 1998 classic basketball film He Got Game. 

Allen’s days with teh Bucks and Sonics were his most productive individually of his 19-year career. However, the 2007 trade from Seattle to Celtics is what put him in the spotlight. Alongside teammates Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, Allen formed the Big 3 in Boston, winning the 2008 NBA Finals. This was the Celtics’ first title since 1986.

Eventually, Allen’s role was diminished with age and the rise of Avery Bradley. In 2012, Allen surprisingly signed with the Celtics’ rival, the Miami Heat. In Miami, he was part of one of the best teams of the decade, as the 2012-13 Heat went on a 27-game-winning streak and returned to the Finals vs. the Spurs.

In Game 6, Allen hit arguably the most famous shot in Finals history, opening the door for the Heat’s Game 7 victory and his second title.

Allen’s desire waned. after the 2014 Finals with the Heat. He goes down as one of the best shooters in league history. Allen is a sure-fire Hall of Famer and joins Garnett, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan among legends drafted in the late 1990s to retire this season. Allen averaged 18.9 points and 2.3 made 3-pointers on 40 percent shooting from beyond the arc for his career.

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