Retirement a possibility for Ray Allen after season
Ray Allen has had a fruitful and prolific career. After 19 professional seasons, he sits at the top of the NBA leaderboard in career 3-pointers made, and it isn't close. He is fifth in career free-throw percentage; 26th in scoring; 15th in games played; 13th in minutes. He's also the default answer when anyone pops the question about the greatest pure shooter in basketball history.
His form is picturesque, his cat-quick release the stuff of legend. He'll be remembered for a lot of things. But probably none more than the indelible moment a year ago when those things came together, at just the right time, in just the right place, to produce one of the great plays the NBA has ever seen.
But Allen, whose Miami Heat sit in a 3-1 hole against the San Anotnio Spurs in the NBA finals, will be 39 next month. As a free agent-to-be - who now has that signature moment and two rings in his pocket, to go along with all the other accolades - he hasn't yet decided if he wants to extend his career beyond this season.
"I guess everything [is factored into the decision]," he said Thursday, per The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn. "You get away from it, you sit down and get an opportunity to think about it. It depends on how my body feels. I love the condition I’ve been in over the last couple of years. It’s just a natural progression."
Depending on whether Steve Nash hangs up his sneakers or Mike James can crack an NBA roster, Allen could well be the league's oldest player if he chooses to return next year. And while he claims that the basis for a decision has "never been an age thing," he also recognizes how much the generational gulf has widened:
"I always laugh because I see the birthdates of the some of the younger guys. They’re born in the ’90s. In the ’90s! I was kicking it hard in the ’90s."
Allen is in that unique place where he has a chance to go out on his own terms. He's proven this season, with his conditioning and his continued ability to knock down shots, that he can still be a valuable NBA player. He played 26.5 minutes a game, averaged 9.6 points, and shot 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Even as a near-40-year-old, he can expect to be getting some free agent offers in the summer. Accepting one of those offers and suiting up again will, ultimately, be his own choice.