Ray Allen Boston Celtics 2008 NBA Finals Game Worn Sneakers | Game 5 | Championship Season

Representative of the Boston Celtics,

California Sports Investments,

Private Collection

These sneakers were worn by Ray Allen on June 15, 2008, in Game 5 of the 2008 NBA Finals, when the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics 103-98 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, trimming Boston's series lead to three games to two. Allen recorded 16 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in 39 minutes. Each shoe bears "Sugar Ray" embroidered on the upper, and the sneakers are size 14.

The 2008 NBA Finals marked the return of one of sport's most storied rivalries, the eleventh championship series meeting between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics, led by the newly assembled "Big Three" of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen, entered the series as the Eastern Conference's dominant force, having posted the best record in the NBA that season. The Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant, were the Western Conference's answer. Boston won the first two games on the road at Staples Center, the Lakers responded with a dominant Game 3 win behind Bryant's series-high 36 points, and the Celtics answered with a legendary Game 4 comeback from 24 points down, the largest comeback in NBA Finals history at the time, to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Game 5 saw the Lakers keep their title hopes alive at home before the Celtics ultimately claimed their 17th championship two nights later with a 131-92 blowout in Game 6 in Boston.

Allen was one of the most dangerous offensive forces of the series, averaging 20.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists across the six games. A ten-time All-Star and one of the greatest pure shooters in NBA history, his presence alongside Pierce and Garnett gave the Celtics a three-headed offensive attack that proved too much for the Lakers to contain over the course of the series.

The sneakers themselves are a Jordan Brand TGIM, short for "The Game Is Mine," a player-exclusive model issued to Team Jordan athletes that has since become a sought-after artifact of the era.

The sneakers have been photomatched by PSA.