There’s a new possible motivation to Ray Allen’s comeback attempt that has been put forward, and it’s extremely fascinating.

Of course, this didn’t come directly from Allen’s mouth, but is rather speculation from a Boston Globe writer.

Gary Washburn recently said on CSNNE that he subscribes to the theory that Allen’s comeback is fueled by the accolades Stephen Curry has gotten around the basketball community, and the seemingly inevitable fact that Curry will one day pass Allen’s career 3-point field goal record.

“Ray wants to play again. I’m sure about that,” said Washburn. “I don’t think he particularly enjoys watching Stephen Curry rain 3s and challenge his record and be called the best shooter in the world. I think that bothers him. I know Ray wants to extend his all-time 3-point record.”

If this is true, it’s bizarre on a multitude of levels. First of all, from a logistical standpoint, Allen isn’t going to get a lot of minutes if he does get signed by a team.

He’s not going to make a significant amount of 3-pointers to pad his all-time record because he’s likely going to be designated as a pure shooter off the bench who won’t get a lot of reps.

Second of all, if Allen is jealous of the attention that Curry has gotten, it’s interesting that he’d want to be teammates with him.

When news first came out about Allen’s comeback attempt, the Warriors were one of the teams he reportedly wanted to join.

Perhaps there’s no true animosity, but a healthy rivalry that Allen is formulating in his mind. Plus winning is a lot of fun, and any player who joins this Warriors roster will be doing a lot of that.

Third of all, while Allen’s competitive nature is to be admired to some extent, this comes off as petty and extremely insecure at the same time.

If Allen really does feel slighted that he’s not considered the greatest shooter of all time anymore, I don’t know what to tell him.

Records are made to be broken, and eventually a player is going to come along and leave his mark on the league.

I wonder if Julius Erving was secretly contemplating a comeback while Michael Jordan was establishing himself as perhaps the most athletic dunker the league had ever seen.

Of course, 3-point shooting is far more objective than aerial acrobatics, but like I said above, Allen isn’t going to get the playing time necessary to meaningfully extend his all-time record or regain his single season record.

Allen’s 269 3-pointers made in a season stood as a record until 2013. The record is now held by Curry at 402.

How is Allen conceivably supposed to make 133 more 3-pointers than he ever has in a season at age 41 and having not played in the NBA since 2014?

Players aren’t defined by records, because records are fluid. Players are remembered for their remarkable skills, and Allen is one of the greatest shooters off all time.

His quick release is the model of perfection that other players strive to emulate. Curry might be able to shoot off the dribble and display outrageous range in ways unrivaled, but nothing that Curry does changes the perception of Allen in any way, beyond just that subjective title of “greatest shooter ever.”

A huge irony of this is that not only is there not a consensus that Curry is the greatest shooter of all time, but that he was even unseating Allen to begin with.

Many people say that Drazen Petrovic is guy that Curry is chasing for that label. Perhaps just as many fans consider Pete Maravich the greatest shooter ever.

Allen can objectively cling to his 3-point field goal record, but NBA players before 1979 didn’t play with a 3-point line.

Allen might be able to point to his tangible 3-point statistics as proof of his supremacy post 1979, but what about before that?

Because of those inconsistencies with Allen’s thought process regarding this matter, he must be primarily fearful of losing his 3-point record to Curry eventually.

However, that’s entirely up to Curry, and Allen can’t realistically do anything at this point to prevent that record from being broken.

If Curry doesn’t end up breaking the record, eventually another player will come along and break it. Records are meant to be toppled.

What would Allen do if he was 70 years old and his record was being threatened? If these insecurities of his are true, it’s really a shame.

Basing his basketball identity in this record is misguided. He’s not going to achieve any peace if he’s constantly worried about somebody eclipsing his record.

Nothing can change the fact that Allen was a fantastic shooter. Reggie Miller wasn’t held in less esteem as a shooter after he was passed by Allen on the career 3-point field goal list, and Allen won’t either when his record will be inevitably passed by someone.

If this is the main motivator for Allen’s comeback attempt, it’s really unfortunate. Passion for the game is one thing, but insecurity about your place in the game is irrational and mentally destructive.