In the Summer of 2007, the Boston Celtics traded for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. The monumental transactions paired the two with the Celtics' cornerstone player, Paul Pierce, marking the first time that the heralded franchise had three all-stars on its roster since 1991 (Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parrish). Boston's latest edition of the big three earned two NBA Finals appearances against the Los Angeles Lakers during their five-year run together, winning one championship back in 2008.

En route to running rampant through the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics made an enemy of the Miami  Heat. The rivalry intensified when the Heat assembled a much younger version of the big three by adding LeBron James and Chris Bosh to a roster that already had Dwayne Wade. Thus, as the younger trio encroached upon their first championship together with the Miami Heat, they finally dethroned the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals of 2012.

During the 2012 regular season, rumors began to surface of Ray Allen's unhappiness with the Boston Celtics organization and his teammates. So, when the free agency period began shortly after the Miami Heat won the NBA championship, Ray Allen jumped ship and signed with the Celtics' biggest rival at the time. This action caused a rift between Ray Allen and his former Boston Celtics teammates -- the likes of which were never resolved. When Ray Allen returned to Boston for his first game against his old teammates, Kevin Garnett refused to shake his hand. In the years that followed, the resentment towards their former teammate snowballed to the point where their former coach, Doc Rivers, felt compelled to intervene but his attempts were to no avail. 

Nevertheless, in a move that took the sports world by surprise, Ray Allen opted to attend Kevin Garnett's jersey retirement ceremony last night. Not only was the 10-time All-Star seated on the floor of TD Garden with a smile on his face, but Kevin Garnett acknowledged his old friend.

"It's good to see Ray Allen here man, real s**t," Garnett said as he looked over at his ex-teammate."It's good to see you here, Ray. You're next [Ray]! Ray next dammit!"

To that, the live audience roared in approval as Ray Allen stood up from his chair, walked over to Kevin Garnett, and gave him a big hug. The two former teammates embraced one another for about seven seconds before Paul Pierce joined them in a touching moment that was long overdue.

After Garnett's jersey retirement ceremony, Ray Allen was asked by reporters how he felt about reuniting with his former teammates after years of bickering with them, back and forth. 

"I was hesitant [to come], not because I didn’t want to be here, but because I wasn’t sure if Kevin wanted me here," Allen said. "Once he accepted me, then the people accepted me. That was the sense. I was glad we could do that and people could see, 'We won with this guy in 2008, and that’s what matters most.'"

Scroll up to watching Ray Allen hug it out with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

Source: Boston Herald