Former Miami Heat player Ray Allen urges others to wear helmets following bike accident

Former Miami Heat guard Ray Allen was “thankful” he was wearing a helmet after he ran over a branch and got thrown from his bicycle over the weekend.

“My helmet saved me from a far worse fate,” said the NBA Hall of Famer, who shared pictures of his banged up helmet and scratched shoulder on Instagram. ”I didn’t want to post this at first because no one wants to show their missteps in life, but as you get older, you learn that life isn’t always about being cool or perfect. It is ok to be vulnerable!”

Allen, who founded the South Miami organic restaurant Grown with his wife Shannon, said he was riding his bicycle Saturday when a car pulled up behind him.

“I sped up to get out of the way,” he said. “As I looked back behind me, the car was gone, but, the minute I turned my head back to what was in front of me, it was too late.”

He said his “front wheel went haywire,” and he landed on his face, shoulder and hip.

He was able to walk home, but he said he “almost passed out.”

“My wife immediately took me to the hospital to make sure that I didn’t have any internal bleeding,” he wrote. “Had my vitals checked and a few X-rays taken and all was ok.”

He said he wanted to share his story as a reminder to others to wear their helmet when riding a bicycle.

“Thank God for my helmet because as you can see in the picture my head hit the ground and I didn’t even realize it,” he said. ”I wasn’t riding fast at all but the ground still took its toll. When you’re riding you can’t take your eyes off the road because something bad could happen!”