They call him Jesus.
Not because he walks on water.
Not because he is the most recognizable person in the entire world.
Not even because a religion spouted after his presence.
They call him Jesus because he is arguably the greatest shooter, big game shot-maker, and conditioned basketball player to ever live.
Yes, the Boston situation got a tad sticky when they refused to give Ray Ray the tender loving care and appreciation which the all time leader in three pointers made ultimately deserved.
The Celtics offered Ray Allen more money than the Heat, however, Miami made Mr. Shuttlesworth feel special, and to boil it down to the most molecular form, needed.
The Miami Heat situation is perfect for Allen.
He comes off the bench, but finishes most games in the 4th and is only expected to shoot threes, and everything else is a bonus.
We are just over a month into the regular season and Ray Allen already has three game-winning shots and looks as fresh as ever.
His legacy continues to grow and the spotlight, now that he has adorned the defending champions colors, is not dimming anytime soon.
But let's start at the beginning of the Ray Allen "Legend."
Before Allen announced his name in arguably the greatest draft of all time in 1996 with Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, and Allen Iverson, he was already a star in the making.
Ray Allen, in his most basic form, is a winner.
In high school, Ray Allen led his Hillcrest High School basketball team to the South Carolina state championship and was recruited by the UConn Huskies where his star would continue to shine even brighter.
In 1995, Allen was named USA Basketball's Male Athlete of the Year.
Allen never won a title in college, but everyone who knew the game of basketball foresaw greatness in the NBA for the soon to be Hollywood star.
The world renowned director, and avid Knicks super-fan, Spike Lee saw greatness in Ray Allen and asked him to star in his 1998 film, He Got Game. Allen was a star in front of the camera, but his play on the court is where he became a household name.
During his rookie season, Allen immediately became a starter and the team's third most effective offensive weapon behind Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson and Vin Baker by averaging 13.4 points per contest.
Within his second season in the NBA, Allen became an elite NBA scorer and his scoring average increased every year in the league until he was traded to Boston and became part of arguably the most dynamic combination of talent of all time.
In 2003, Ray Allen was traded to the Seattle Supersonics after failing to make the finals with the Bucks. Allen was part of an epic seven game series in 2001 where he went toe to toe with MVP Allen Iverson in the Conference Finals, but never was able to get over the hump and play for a title as "the guy".
Allen was traded for future Hall of Fame point guard Gary Payton and the Sonics loved what Allen was able to bring to the city and their franchise.
In 2005, Allen and current teammate and former All-Star in Seattle, Rashard Lewis, made a run in the playoffs but ultimately lost in the Conference Semi-Finals to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in six games.
In the summer of 2007, the Sonics were trying to go young and rebuild when they drafted superstar Kevin Durant with the second pick in the draft and traded Ray Allen for Boston's draft pick, which turned into Jeff Green at number five overall.
Ray Allen was traded to Boston which ultimately was enough to entice Kevin Garnett to leave the land of 10,000 lakes in the hopes of chasing his dream of an NBA championship.
Ray had just come off the best season of his career.
Allen averaged 26.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists a game while shooting just under 44 percent from the field and 37 percent from three and 90.3 percent from the free throw line in 40.3 minutes a game.
Allen was a franchise player, who needed a little help to get him to the Finals.
But now he had an opportunity in Boston to be part of a super team, a team for the ages, and finally, an NBA championship contender.
Before Allen was traded to Boston, he was "the man". Scoring 26.4 points, which placed him sixth overall in the league in 2006-2007.
Paul Pierce was "the man" of the Celtics before the big three was assembled and averaged 25.0 points per contest.
And the 2004 MVP Kevin Garnett was also "the man" in Minnesota for over a decade.
But now these super talents had to emerge as a unit and build the chemistry that would lead them to their first NBA title and the Celtics 17th overall as a franchise.
Pierce was the play making scorer, Garnett was the defensive anchor and Allen did not let his ego take over by taking a back seat offensively and becoming the team's token shooter and big shot maker.
Over his career, Ray Allen has always been cool under pressure.
But now that he was in Boston and under the limelight, his late-game heroics almost became something of a folk legend, but we were witnessing them on a consistent basis.
After winning a title in 2008 and putting on a show for the ages, Allen continued to be a cornerstone for the Celtics and they went on to go to 3 out of 5 Eastern Conference Finals and made it to the Finals twice.
"He Got Game". And he still has it.
Jesus Shuttlesworth needed to feel wanted, and "needed" by the Celtics this offseason but was slighted by management.
Allen took his talents to South Beach and became the Heat's clutch go-to shooter in primetime.
Think about this, with players like Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh as teammates, they all still defer to the greatness of Allen to come up big late in games.
Allen has three game winners so far this season, one against the Nuggets, Spurs and Cavaliers; all in spectacular fashion.
Allen has already surpassed Reggie Miller's mark for the most three pointers made in a career.
Now all he wants is another ring.
Allen has game. He has been a star for almost two decades and even though he has lingering bone spur issues in his ankles, he does not look like he is slowing down any time soon.
Allen is an icon and a legend of this current generation of ball players, and the NBA is lucky to still have him playing at a high level going into his 17th regular season.
Detractors cannot take anything away from Allen throughout his career. He has always handled himself with such great poise, professionalism and grace.
Allen will be a future first ballot Hall of Famer, but for now, let us bask in his greatness.