?Everything of Value…Was Stolen from Me?: Amid March Madness, 2x NBA Champion Shares His Disheartening NCAA Memory

March Madness has been going on in full swing for the last few weeks and NBA superstars like Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley have been chiming in with their valuable takes on the NCAA tournament. At the heart of the tournament’s popularity in the NBA world is the fact that it is a gateway for numerous young stars to enter the NBA. However, recently, an NBA legend and Hall of Famer recounted a different kind of March Madness experience from his NCAA days.

The Connecticut Huskies are one of the four teams that made it to the Final Four of this year’s March Madness. Former UConn player turned 2x- NBA champion, Ray Allen recently touched upon one of his March Madness memories. However, it was not a great memory for the Celtics legend.

Ray Allen shares a horrific NCAA memory

Before joining the NBA, Ray Allen made his mark in college basketball. While playing for the UConn team, the 10x- NBA All-Star had won several accolades, including the USA Basketball’s Male Athlete of the Year and the Big East Player of the Year award. However, Allen’s days with the college team were not a bed of roses.

The 1995-96 season was the last college season for Ray Allen. A terrible incident befell Allen and co. during that year. The UConn team flew to Oakland to play against UCLA.

After losing to the California side, Allen and his team returned to their hotel only to discover that they have been robbed by burglars. “We get back to the hotel and somebody broke into our hotel and stole all our stuff,” Ray Allen said in an interview with Dan Patrick.

“Everything that was of value to me at that time, you know, was stolen from me. So I guess its a story to tell now,” he added.

Allen had to stay 11 days away from home for the campaign and he had packed all of his belongings for the journey. All these belongings, ranging from sweatshirts to CDs were stolen from the Celtics legend. Speaking of the robbery, Allen added, “To add insult to the injury I had to wear coach Calhoun’s sweatshirt on the plane back to Connecticut.”

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From the NCAA to the NBA

The Boston Celtics legend Ray Allen is one in the long list of NCAA stars who later became NBA legends. The Lakers legend Magic Johnson and the Celtics icon Larry Bird came face to face in the 1979 NCAA finals, way before they locked horns in the NBA Finals. Johnson had the last laugh as his side, Michigan State, outplayed Larry Bird’s Indiana State.

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The Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan is a synonym for the word winner. Long before winning six NBA championships with the Bulls, His Airness won the 1982 NCAA championship while playing for the University of North Carolina. With a week left for the March Madness to conclude, NBA stars, analysts, and fans will be eyeing potential NBA prospects from the NCAA tournament.