Former NBA Champion, Who Prayed for LeBron James' Downfall, Unveils Bizarre Beef That Was Resolved With a "Boxing Match" - EssentiallySportsAmerica's Favorites Trending in U.S.A.

Former NBA Champion Who Prayed for LeBron James Downfall Unveils Bizarre Beef That Was Resolved With a Boxing Match

Published 06/26/2022, 10:30 AM EDTBy The Boston Celtics are one of the most illustrious franchises in NBA history. The team has produced arguably some of the greatest players of all time. The franchise also has had a couple of unforgettable championship-winning rosters. The 2007-08 Celtics team is probably one of the most memorable squads in the franchise’s history. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad During the 2007-08 season, the new-look Celtics experienced one of the most spectacular seasons in NBA history. They went 24-58 the season prior and had failed to make the playoffs for the second year running. However, what transpired the following season was a major boost for the Celtics as a franchise. They went 66-16 and captured the NBA title against the Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers, ending a 22-year championship drought. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!
14 years ago today, Kevin Garnett became an NBA champion after the Celtics' 131-92 victory over the Lakers. The win gave Boston their 17th NBA championship and ended a 22-year drought. — Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad The squad might have been one of the most memorable; however, it had its fair share of controversies. One of them was the renowned beef between Ray Allen and . Kendrick Perkins was a member of the Celtics’ 2007-08 roster. The big man had the best seat in the house to witness the feud between the two. He recently decided to shed some light on the subject. He also went on to reveal how the two settled their differences.

Kendrick Perkins revealed how Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo boxed out their beef

The ‘ firepower tormented the rest of the league on a routine basis, but tensions were brewing behind the curtains. Their backcourt pairing of Allen and Rondo had a spat. It became so heated that they arranged a boxing bout to reconcile.(L-R) Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics talk on court against the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the 2011 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Nick Laham/Getty Images As per ‘Big Perk’, a feud between the two stars started to brew when Rondo got to know that Allen wanted the Celtics to trade him for . Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were apparently opposed to the idea, but Allen was all onboard. This didn’t sit well with Rondo, and the animosity between the two had become so bitter that they had to box everything out. "We made Ray and Rondo actually box it out. They had so much beef." — on the tension between Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo Watch the full episode with and : — TheOldMan&TheThree (@OldManAndThree) “We made Ray and Rondo actually box it out,” Perkins said on ’s podcast. “They had so much beef. We got to the practice facility, we bought the boxing gloves, and they actually had to box it out,” he added. It’s reasonable to assume that many people would have emptied their coffers to witness the star-studded boxing match. Perkins, however, did not reveal the winner, but did say that everyone was now on “speaking terms.” Despite all the fuss, it was Ray Allen who left the Celtics first in 2012 to join the . Several Celtics players despised him for that decision, but Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett resolved their issues during Garnett’s jersey retirement, hugging it out on the floor. The Big 3 Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce share a hug during his jersey retirement ceremony. — NBA (@NBA) It’s unknown whether Rondo and Allen are still at odds. Nonetheless, this boxing anecdote is unquestionably one of the most unusual NBA stories ever.

Perkins wanted LeBron James to somehow sustain an injury in the 2008 postseason

There are several instances of how LeBron has continued to terrorize his adversaries throughout his storied career. Kendrick Perkins is the most recent person to declare how the sight of LeBron James terrified him. His fear of ‘The King’ was so profound that he prayed for the superstar to get injured. “We played the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2008 and it was a Game 7 right. We had just lost Game 6 and I ain’t gonna lie man, I was scared as hell going into that Game 7 against LeBron James,” Perkins said. He added, “This was the only time that I actually prayed that something happened to him at practice. I’m being real. I was like let us get breaking news that LeBron has tore his ACL or something. I’m not even lying, I’m not even exaggerating.” .: “We have to edit this out.” : “No, no, you can’t edit this out. This is real.” — TheOldMan&TheThree (@OldManAndThree) ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad JJ Redick was caught off guard by Perkins’ comments, as he couldn’t understand why he would make such a bizarre confession. “I’m gonna have to edit this out,” JJ Redick stated. Perkins, however, urged Redick to keep his comments in the episode. LeBron James, however, did not get injured. Instead, he dropped 45 points on the Celtics. Despite his massive scoring outburst, the Celtics topped the Cavs. WATCH THIS STORY: ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad LeBron James is still performing at a high level at the age of 37. His longevity is well documented in the NBA annals. It is reasonable to assume that an ACL injury to James would have resulted in an entirely different NBA history. Many good players’ ascension to greatness has been blocked by ACL injuries. Fair to say, an injury of that magnitude could have caused James to slow down as well.

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ADVERTISEMENT Ritvik Malhotra 353 articlesRitvik is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Having completed his Bachelor's in Journalism and Mass Communication from Amity University, Ritvik has finally got his foot in the door as a professional sports writer. He previously interned at another media house where he authored over 150 soccer articles, but he is now writing about his primary obsession, basketball.Please enable JavaScript to view the ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT

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