Pierce addresses Ray Allen beef, shares message for the 'haters' originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Paul Pierce had no interest in bringing negative vibes to Springfield this weekend.
The Boston Celtics legend will be inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday night as part of the Class of 2021. Former teammate Ray Allen also will join the festivities when he presents ex-Miami Heat teammate Chris Bosh as a Hall of Fame inductee.
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Members of the 2008 Celtics championship team -- namely Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo -- felt betrayed when Allen left Boston in 2012 to sign with the Miami Heat, who had eliminated the C's in the playoffs that spring.
Forsberg: How Pierce's Hall of Fame drive made him a C's icon
But there was Pierce with Allen in Springfield on Friday night, telling the world in an Instagram story video that he and his former Celtics co-star are "always going to be brothers."
"Everybody want to know? There it go," Pierce added.
Pierce insisted he buried the hatchet with Allen years ago during a celebrity basketball event in China in 2017. The same can't necessarily be said for Garnett, who suggested his beef with Allen is still ongoing in a recent Instagram post.
Garnett will be in attendance Saturday presenting Pierce, so it will be interesting to see if he and Allen try to mend fences. As for Pierce? He seems blissfully unbothered.
Saturday night's induction ceremony begins at 7 p.m. ET.
