Celtics guard Ray Allen helped an American friend stay safe during the recent terrorist attack in Mumbai, India by keeping him on the phone for 20 minutes.
Allen’s longtime friend Daryl Jones was in the Oberoi Trident Hotel when it was attacked Nov. 26. The flight attendant had gone to the front desk to get a new room key when he heard shooting in the lobby. He then hid in room on the 21st floor.
Allen learned of the attack during a phone call from his wife, Shannon, after a game. When Allen got home, he phoned Jones and kept him updated on the situation from television news reports.
Concerned that his friend might be a target because he was an American, Allen told Jones that if a terrorist asked for his passport to say he didn’t have it and that he was Jamaican.
“We talked for about 20 minutes and I told him, ‘We’ll be (by the phone) if you need to call back. If you call back, we’ll be up waiting, and if you (don’t call), just leave us a message letting us know you’re all right.’ “