Ray Allen On 'Judas' Tag From Celtics Fans: 'It Doesn't Bother Me'
BOSTON (CBS) - Now that Ray Allen has his Miami Heat jersey, he has officially crossed over to the Celtics' biggest rivals.
Often called "Jesus Shuttlesworth" by his Boston fans (and many NBA fans for that matter) from his role in Spike Lee's 1998 hit "He Got Game," Allen has also heard of that first named being changed to "Judas" now that he has skipped town for South Beach.
The 16-year-veteran knows he will hear it from some (possibly most) in the TD Garden crowd when he first steps onto the famous parquet in that Miami jersey, but he won't let it interfere with his silky jump shot.
"It doesn't bother me," he said after being introduced in Miami on Wednesday. "I know who I am. I know what my goals and tasks are; to raise my kids to be respectable people in this world and to make this team better."
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"I've given so much, not only on the floor but off the floor. I think there is a sense of sadness and hurt that the people feel. We feel that too as a family; we feel the sense of loss that we'll have not being in that community," said Allen. "That's understandable. We know we're still part of the community, part of New England. Our home is still in Boston. That's not going to change how we feel about the people."
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While they may not be as friendly when he returns as a member of the Heat, Allen will have a wonderful lasting image of the Boston crowd from the last time he stepped off the Garden floor as a member of the Celtics.
"One memory I will always have is Game 6 (of this season's Eastern Conference Finals); we're getting beat by 20 and the people in Boston are still chanting "Let's Go Celtics" because this isn't over yet," he recalled. "I'll always remember that from the fans."
