With Paul Pierce's No. 34 jersey going up into the rafters in 2018 and the Boston Celtics announcing earlier this month that Kevin Garnett's No. 5 will be retired next season, it's natural to wonder whether the third member of the Big Three - Ray Allen - will be honored similarly in light of how he left the team.
According to longtime Celtics executive Danny Ainge, the determination of which players have their jerseys retired is beyond his role as general manager and president of basketball operations.
"These are not my decisions," Ainge said on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich show on Wednesday. "If someone asks my opinion on this, I'll weigh in at the appropriate time. But this is Wyc (Grousbeck)'s team and he gets to make those decisions."
Allen played five seasons in Boston (one fewer than Garnett) from 2007-12. In that span, the Hall of Fame sharpshooter averaged 16.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game; he shot 40.9% on 3-pointers and was named to the All-Star team three times.
Most importantly, Allen was a central piece to the Celtics' title-winning season in 2007-08 - the organization's most recent championship. It's also the lone title for future fellow Hall of Famers Pierce and Garnett.
However, Allen irked the Celtics by his decision to leave the organization in 2012 to sign with their then-Eastern Conference rivals, the Miami Heat. Allen played the final two seasons of his career in Miami, helping the Heat capture the NBA title in 2013 - Allen's second and final NBA championship.
"I wish Ray would have stayed in Boston, but he didn't," Ainge said. "And he made that choice. His family still lives down in Miami.
"I don't hold any grudges against Ray at all, but I know that that's not the exact same feeling as everybody in the organization."
