Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo explains why Ray Allen won't be invited to a reunion of the 2008 Celtics

Published Mar. 20, 2017 5:25 p.m. ET

Brett Pollakoff

The 10-year anniversary of the last time the Celtics won a title will be here in 2018, and Rajon Rondo is planning a vacation for his former teammates to get together and reflect on the accomplishment. But one name will be noticeably absent from his invite list.

Ray Allen left the Celtics after five seasons to chase a ring with the Miami Heat, and the vets from that Boston squad haven't forgiven him to this day. Rondo explained why Allen won't be welcome at the team's reunion in an interview with The Undefeated's Marc Spears.

“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].”

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Rajon Rondo

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