MIAMI — Ray Allen, the NBA Hall of Famer who starred for the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, took center stage on a very different kind of court Wednesday.
Allen, dressed in a dark suit and tie, was ordered to appear in the Miami courtroom of U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke for failing to show up after he was selected as a juror for a deadly carjacking trial. It started without him last week and ended Tuesday with guilty verdicts against a South Florida man accused of fatally shooting the car’s driver.
Cooke called a foul on the 19-year NBA veteran, 10-time All-Star and two-time league champion, telling him he had disrespected the court and his fellow jurors for failing to fulfill his duty on the 12-person federal jury.
Cooke also ordered Allen, 46, to donate $1,000 to a charity of his choice, noting in an order that “no man or woman is above performing that civic duty.”
Allen, accompanied by his wife and children, said little during his hearing before the judge. His attorney, William McCue, issued an apology on behalf of the former NBA star, saying “it was a complete misunderstanding.”
Allen, a legendary NBA shooter who is now coaching the boys’ basketball team at Miami’s Gulliver Prep, declined to comment after the court hearing. He said he planned to make his court-ordered donation to diabetes research.
Allen was among 14 permanent and alternate jurors originally picked in early March for the federal trial of Jorge Aponte Figueroa, who was the only defendant of those charged who had not struck a plea deal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The trial was initially scheduled for March 14. But after he was selected as a juror, Allen asked the judge for a favor to start the trial the following day because he had to be a presenter at the jersey retirement ceremony of former Celtics teammate Kevin Garnett on March 13.
To accommodate Allen’s trip to Boston, Cooke set her trial for March 15. But Allen didn’t show up. Her courtroom deputy, Ivan Marchena, tried to reach him and left messages with Allen. He didn’t respond. So the trial started without him, and the judge issued an order to “show cause” why Allen should not be sanctioned for failing to appear as a selected juror.
“Mr. Allen’s actions in failing to appear for jury duty are both baffling and disconcerting,” Cooke wrote in her show-cause order.
“Through his actions in failing to appear for jury duty, Mr. Allen appears to not appreciate or understand the importance of jury service. The right to a trial by jury is sacrosanct,” Cooke wrote. “However, the right to trial by jury can only be preserved if those who are chosen to serve on a jury actually fulfill their obligation to serve.”
Allen has been retired since 2014, which is when he wrapped up a successful two-season run with the Miami Heat. In fact, his famous 3-pointer in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals led to the Heat winning the championship. Allen’s corner 3 with 5.2 seconds left forced overtime against the San Antonio Spurs, and Miami went on to win that matchup as well as Game 7.
Allen was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September of 2018.
