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"SLAM was wrong" - Ray Allen explains his issue with the popular hoop magazine
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- "SLAM was wrong" - Ray Allen explains his issue with the popular hoop magazine
The game's greatest always find the smallest slights and use that as fuel to become even better. For Ray Allen , it was a comment made by the so-called "Bible of Basketball," SLAM magazine, that motivated him to prove everybody wrong.
Back in February 1997, SLAM no. 15 published a piece predicting how the class of 1996's careers would unfold. While the publication's editor, Russ Bengston, had high hopes for the likes of Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Malik Rose and Stephon Marbury, he didn't have much faith in a young Ray Allen. In fact, Bengston predicted that the young man from UConn would "fade into obscurity."
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Those words stuck with Ray throughout his career, echoing in his head every time he stepped onto the court. And as time went on, Ray Allen proved SLAM magazine wrong with every jump shot he made.
It turned out to be a blessing in disguise
Ray entered the NBA at 21. Filled with more pride than experience, he bristled at SLAM's prediction and refused to acknowledge or grant them any interviews for years. It wasn't until later in his career that he realized that the subtle insult did him more good than harm.
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"SLAM was wrong. But for seven years, I wouldn't talk to them whenever I saw them. And then after that, I realized it was actually a favor," Ray said in an interview with his wife, Shannon.
"It was the best thing. It was the best thing for me," the Hall of Famer continued. "And I realized that great athletes, great motivators — that top one percent of the doers in life — they're going to try to over-accomplish a task that somebody sets for them. Because whether they achieve it or not, they want the smoke."
In wanting to prove all the naysayers wrong, Ray proved he had the intestinal fortitude to not only absorb criticism but also use it as fuel to push himself even further. This mindset ultimately led him to a Hall of Fame career highlighted by two championships.
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Ray had to find out what "obscurity" meant
In a separate talk with SLAM's Datwon Thomas, Ray said that when he first read Bengston's comments, he actually had to double-check what the word "obscurity" meant. Upon learning what it meant, he felt insulted that someone who had only seen his basketball skills could label him as such without learning about his character.
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"You can't gauge a person's heart. A guy can have talent coming into college, but you have to be able to have heart to be great at the next level," Ray remarked . "To be great, you can't be a great college player and automatically be great in the pros. You have to really commit to the craft."
"Just making it there isn't good enough. Overcoming all obstacles that come to you is what takes you to the next level. So I appreciated that little blurb that they put in there, 'cause it put a chip on my shoulder without even having to talk about it," he stressed.
Ray wasn't on Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant's level when it came to sheer pettiness. Those players would rip anyone's heart out if they ever felt slighted, and Ray was never that type of person. However, it was clear that he took the dig personally and was determined to prove his doubters wrong.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Mar 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
