Kevin Garnett Has Squashed His Beef With Ray Allen
BOSTON (CBS) -- Kevin Garnett's number retirement ceremony was an incredibly fun time at TD Garden on Sunday. While Garnett's No. 5 going into the TD Garden rafters was an awesome sight to see, it wasn't the best part of the festivities.
The best scene from Sunday's ceremony was the Celtics' second iteration of The Big 3 becoming whole once again. Garnett has officially squashed his beef with former teammate Ray Allen, welcoming the Hall of Fame sharpshooter into the spotlight during the ceremony for a warm embrace.
And for good measure, Paul Pierce jumped in on the hug too. After many of the former 2008 championship Celtics spent years smearing Allen for his 2012 departure, it was great to see that everyone has put their animosity in the past.
"It's good to see Ray Allen here, man. Real [stuff]," Garnett said during the ceremony before embracing Allen. "It's good to see you here, Ray. You next!
"Ray's next, dammit," Garnett shouted to the crowd.
The Big 3
— NBA (@NBA) March 13, 2022
Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce share a hug during his jersey retirement ceremony. pic.twitter.com/cAdhUNF1p5
While the 2008 Celtics were an absolute force on the floor on their way to the franchise's 17th NBA title, they've been a rather petty group since Allen left to join LeBron James on the Miami Heat in 2012. It was understandable why they were mad at Allen for leaving for the enemy at the time, but the feud lingered for years after everyone was done playing basketball.
Garnett said that he lost Allen's number after he joined the Heat and gave him the cold shoulder whenever the two crossed paths. Pierce said he was hurt that Allen didn't tell the team ahead of time before leaving for Miami, and didn't talk to Allen for years. Allen did not attend Pierce's number retirement in 2018 because of the ongoing tension between the three.
But their relationship has slowly improved since then, with the trio appearing together at this year's NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland. They even had some genuine smiles on their faces as they posed for a picture on All-Star weekend.
Now the feud is over, and the Big 3 is a Big 3 once again. That should make those anniversary ceremonies for that special group from 2008 a lot less awkward going forward.