Getty Image
On Sunday, former Boston Celtic Paul Pierce returned to Boston to have his jersey raised into the rafters of the TD Garden in a ceremony that would have been slightly more enjoyable if the score had been closer at halftime. He was met with a reception that came close to topping the one he received after his dramatic return to the court just minutes after he was taken to the tunnel in a wheelchair during the first game of the 2008 NBA Finals.
That year’s Celtics squad was a superteam before superteams were cool (or not cool, depending on which crotchety retired NBA player you ask— including Pierce himself), with the team managing to go from worst to first thanks in no small part to the efforts of Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen.
In 2012, Allen left one Big Three for another when he headed to the Miami Heat, and ever since then, there’s been talks of bad blood between him and his former teammates— rumors that seemed slightly more valid when members of the 2008 team got together last year in his absence.
Allen decided to spend Sunday golfing with George Lopez instead of heading up the Boston, although Pierce didn’t seem to take it personally.
However, it appears Allen still has a soft spot in his heart for his time with the Celtics based on a recent Instagram post:
Allen might say he’ll always be a Celtic, but he’ll always be a SuperSonic to me.