Ray Allen On His Famous Shot, All-Time Starting Five, Guarding Kobe Bryant, And Load Management

Ray Allen is one of the greatest shooting guards the NBA has ever seen, dominating the 2000s and 2010s with his incredible shooting ability. The former leader in all-time three-pointers made has had an incredibly storied 18-year career in the NBA.

I spoke to Ray Allen on behalf of Fadeaway World during the Hall of Famer's visit to NBA India, where he discussed various topics, including his all-time starting five, his iconic shot in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals, guarding Kobe Bryant, the Miami Heat's 2023 playoff run, and load management, among other things. 

Ishaan Bhattacharya: "Who would be in your all-time starting five with a sixth man?"

Ray Allen: “With a sixth man? Michael Jordan, Magic (Johnson), Larry (Bird), Shaq (O’Neal), and Hakeem Olajuwon. Sixth man? It would be, I would say LeBron.”

Ishaan Bhattacharya: "How was it like guarding Kobe Bryant?"

Ray Allen: “He took a lot of tough shots. It was my job to keep making him continue taking shots. If he’s taking tough shots, I am happy with it, he’s gonna make some of them, and that’s fine. When he’s taking shots under duress or with fatigue, then I did my job. Some guys in the NBA and Kobe was one of them, it’s impossible to keep him from taking those shots and not missing. It was a task for me but I tried to get him as tired as much I could because he was guarding me as well.”

Ishaan Bhattacharya: "You played 80+ games six times in your career and played 79 games in your second last season. Now, we're seeing the NBA force a 65-game limit for consideration for the MVP award or All-NBA teams. What are your thoughts on what you're seeing with load management in basketball?"

Ray Allen: “I don’t particularly think it’s good for the game. When I played, we took pride in playing each game. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, you have injuries or something happens. To get to the end of the year and you looked up and you played 82. You never remember game 58 when you were tired and want to sit down and take a rest, but you didn’t. It’s easy to say I will take tonight off because I’m sore. We constantly felt like we had to play for each other, regardless of what was going on during the season. On off days, we made sure we lifted weights, we made sure we took care of our body, that was our load management. We took care of our bodies so we could play 82 games.”

Ishaan Bhattacharya: "You played for Coach Erik Spoelstra, he's back in the Conference Finals facing your former team, the Boston Celtics. What do you make of the incredible run the Miami Heat are having right now?"

Ray Allen: “It’s remarkable. If you think about where we’ve come up to this point in the regular season. Not only the Heat had, but the Lakers as well. Both teams were written off and didn’t expect to make it or get past the first round. It’s exciting because it’s similar to the Final Four, where it’s not a guarantee who’s going to win. We play seven-game series, and most likely the better team is going to rise to the occasion, but the NBA is different now. There’s not a clear-cut favorite because there’s so much shooting. Depending on who’s hot that night, it can go either direction. With the Heat, it’s hard to even fathom where they were in the regular season that anybody would say they’ll make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. People would say you live in Miami, you’re a homer. They’ve managed to do it and they’re playing good basketball. Jimmy Butler is having an incredible postseason thus far and at the end of the day, that’s what matters the most, the player that steps up and makes the plays for the team.”

Ishaan Bhattacharya: "The Miami Heat were counted out once before when you hit the shot in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals and changed the course of basketball history... You spoke about how practice and longevity breed greatness, so what was it like for you to be part of such an iconic moment in NBA history?"

Ray Allen: “The saying is, people always talk about luck. If you’re lucky, you’ve already been good. Luck is when opportunity meets the prepared. The ball bounces your way and you’re able to receive it because you’re ready to receive it. You got people in the position to do their jobs. That’s the position I was in at that moment to take that shot. But it was a shot that I was prepared for, it was a shot that I trained for, it was a moment that if we continue to do the things we need to do, no matter what happens in the game. The cream is always going to rise to the top because you got guys that can shoot threes, great ball handlers, and great rebounders. When you look at great players and clutch players, and what I admire the most about championships series or games. Whether it be football or cricket, great players step up and do big things in big moments at the end of games. They carry the team. They create or establish a legacy. On the flip side, Boston beat Philly the other night, and James Harden didn’t play great. James Harden needed to play well in a Game 7 series, to take it to the next level. That’s where his legacy is being established. To play well at that time in that moment, that’s what cements you as a legendary player. Those are the time's people will write about you when you step up or you don’t step up. For me, that’s all I wanted to be able to do. Have a steel-trap mind to go in and do this job, score buckets, make the shot, make the free throws, whatever I need to do. When people looked at me and talk about me, they say ‘This guy right here? When he showed up, he was one of the best, because he did his job and he always delivered."

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Ray Allen's Legendary Career

Ray Allen left an indelible mark on the game, establishing himself as the greatest shooter the game had ever seen until the modern era led to the emergence of the likes of Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard. He still sits at No. 2 in the all-time three-pointers made list, with Curry having overtaken him during the 2021-22 season.

Allen made 10 All-Star teams in his career and won two championships with the Boston Celtics (2008) and the Miami Heat (2013). He was a two-time All-NBA selection and one of the premier perimeter defenders of his era. Allen would be named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team, solidifying his greatness within the sport.

He averaged 18.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 1,300 regular-season games over 18 seasons in the NBA.

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