Rajon Rondo and other members of the 2008 Celtics are planning a party to celebrate the upcoming 10-year anniversary of their NBA title. For some reason, Rondo talked to The Undefeated about how the party planning is coming along, and he indicated that Ray Allen is not invited.
Rondo told The Undefeated that he asked a few of the other players from the 2008 team if Allen should be invited to the party, and that he received “a no, a no head shake,” in response. Apparently, Rondo and the others are still steaming mad about Allen’s decision to sign with the Miami Heat in 2012. Here’s Rondo explaining things:
“It will be a long story about that, but it is what it is,” Rondo, who plays for the Chicago Bulls, told The Undefeated. “I don’t know a good analogy to put this in. It just wasn’t the greatest separation. It wasn’t the greatest thing that could’ve happened to us as a team, a bond. We were at war with those guys [Miami]. To go with the enemy, that’s unheard-of in sports. Well, it’s not so unheard of. It’s damn near common now.
“The mindset we had. The guys on our team. You wouldn’t do anything like that. It makes you question that series in the Finals … Who were you for? You didn’t bleed green. People think we had a messed-up relationship. It’s not the greatest. But it’s not just me. I called and reached out to a couple of other vets and asked them what they wanted to do with the situation. They told me to stick with what we got [without Allen].”
On the one hand, this is remarkably petty behavior. On the other, it’s easy to understand why Rondo in particular is upset: It’s a lot harder to hunt easy assists while coasting on the achievements of your superior teammates when one of those superior teammates decides to leave.