You know him as Ray Allen aka Jesus Shuttlesworth, but whatever you call him he is the man with the prettiest jump shot we have ever seen. There is a reason Ray Allen is known as one of the greatest shooters of all time, and by far the prettiest shot to ever exist. I mean he starred as a high school hooper named Jesus, in one of the best basketball movies of all time. But that’s not the reason for his shot, and if you think he was just blessed with talent you are wrong. The detail Allen puts not only into his shooting, but into his daily routine with everything he does, from what he eats to his workout routine is ridiculous. His work ethic is what separates the greats from the rest of the league.
It’s a dream for a kid to be an NBA Ball Boy and rebound for your idols. The problem is not every player is the best shooter, and it really can become annoying chasing basketballs all around the court. Now there are 3 pure shooters who come to mind that are the greatest to rebound for; Kyle Korver, Reggie Miller and of course Ray Allen (I worked in the NBA when Curry was there but the rebounding job was no longer part of my day today responsibilities so I never rebounded for him). All you need to do is stand under the hoop and catch the ball as it falls through the net with these legends. If you are a true basketball fan there is really nothing better to watch. The attention to detail that Allen has put into his shot is mesmerizing. For the ball to hit the net the exact same way shot after shot. I can still hear the sound of the net snapping as it goes through basket.
It is insane to witness how much detail he puts into his craft. Allen shows up to the court on game days before anyone. There are typically 2 buses to bring the players, first the players 8-15 on the roster or guys who need extra treatment and the second bus is the rest of the players and Head Coach. Now, for Allen, he shows up in a cab before any of the buses or personnel. This is his game day routine, around 3 hours before game-time he goes through an entire workout. Once he has warmed up he begins his shooting routine, typically with one or two team attendants and one of the assistant coaches. His shooting routine is by no means light. He is shooting game shots at game speed, coming off imaginary picks from all spots on the court. Whether he is dribbling hard left or right to a pull up, or catch and shoot he is splashing the net and breaking a hard sweat. He will do this anywhere from 30 minutes to a full hour. Remember, this is before he is about to play a basketball game at the highest level. After his shooting routine he isn’t done. He then goes back to the training room and goes through a workout routine. It’s funny when you hear some basketball players say not to lift because it messes ups their shot but the greatest shooter of all time is going hard before on game days. He focuses a lot on core and stability workouts using a lot of bands and an exercise ball and some dumbbells, but again he is not taking it easy. If you have ever seen the man in person, you would see his work ethic in his physique, which I am sure his body fat is 2-4% max. A lot of this also goes into what he puts into his body. Working the locker room we are asked to pick up players food before the game. JR Smith and Kenyon Martin loved themselves a hot dog or some nachos from the concession. I once heard one of the strength and conditioning coaches compare NBA players to luxury cars. You don’t put the same gas in a Ferrari as you would a Honda. Ray Allen treated his body like a Ferrari and always refueled with the proper nutrition.
After all the shooting, the workout routine, and the pregame meal there was roughly and hour and a half before the game. He will have one more quick core workout before going to the court and getting the final shots up before tip-off, but during his down time he is a normal human being. I have literally sat in the locker room with Ray Allen and another team attendant and had a ten minute conversation with him. He even signed a friends copy of He Got Game and after chatted about what it was like to do the film. All that being said, I don’t care what Rondo says about Allen, he’s just mad his jumpshot’s busted.
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