Walter Ray Allen

Walter Ray Allen (born July 20, 1975), referred to as Ray Allen, is an American professional basketball player for the NBA's Boston Celtics at the position of shooting guard. He has also played professionally for two other organizations, the Milwaukee Bucks and Seattle SuperSonics, and collegiately at the University of Connecticut. One of the most accurate 3-point shooters in NBA history, he is a nine-time NBA All-Star and won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the 2000 United States Men's Basketball Team. Allen has also acted in two films, including a co-starring role in the 1998 Spike Lee film He Got Game.


High school

The third of five children, Allen was born at Castle Air Force Base in Merced, California. A military child, he spent time growing up in Saxmundham in England, Altus in Oklahoma, Edwards Air Force Base[2] in California, and Germany.[3] He attended high school in Dalzell, South Carolina, where he led Hillcrest High School to a basketball state championship.[4]

College career

Allen attended the University of Connecticut from 1993 to 1996, where he earned All-American status and was named USA Basketball's Male Athlete of the Year in 1995. In 1995-96, his final college season, Allen was a first-team All-American and won the Big East Player of the Year award. Allen finished his UConn career third on the Huskies' career scoring list with 1,922 points and set a single-season school record by connecting on 115 three-pointers in 1995-96.

In 2001, he was named honorary captain of the 25-member UConn All-Century Basketball Team. On February 5, 2007, his name and number were honored at Connecticut's Gampel Pavilion during the "Huskies of Honor" ceremony at halftime of the men's basketball game against the Syracuse Orange.[5]

NBA career

Milwaukee Bucks (1996–2003)

Allen was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth pick of the 1996 NBA Draft. Immediately after his selection, Allen and Andrew Lang were traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for the rights to fourth pick Stephon Marbury. Allen was a member of the NBA's All-Rookie 2nd Team in 1996. His most successful season with the Bucks occurred during the 2000-01 season as he won the 3-point shootout during All-Star Weekend, was selected to the All-NBA Third Team, and led the Bucks, as part of Milwaukee's "Big Three", alongside Sam Cassell and Glenn Robinson, to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost in seven games to the Philadelphia 76ers.[6]

Seattle Super Sonics (2003–2007)

Allen remained with the Bucks midway through the 2002-03 season, when he was dealt to the Sonics, along with Ronald Murray, former UConn teammate Kevin Ollie, and a conditional first round draft pick, in exchange for Gary Payton and Desmond Mason. After an injury-riddled 2003-04 season, he was named to the All-NBA 2nd Team and, alongside teammate Rashard Lewis, led the Sonics to the Conference Semifinals in 2005. After the 2004-05 season, Allen signed a 5-year, $80 million contract extension. In the 2006-07 regular season, he averaged a career-high 26.4 points per game while adding 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.

During his Seattle tenure, Allen achieved many individual accomplishments. On March 12, 2006, Allen became the 97th player in NBA history to score 15,000 points. On April 7, 2006, Allen moved into second place on the NBA's list of all-time 3-point field goals made, trailing only Reggie Miller. On April 19, 2006, Allen broke Dennis Scott's ten-year-old NBA record for 3-point field goals made in a season against the Denver Nuggets.

On January 12, 2007, Allen scored a career-high 54 points against the Utah Jazz in a 122-114 overtime win, the second most in Sonics history. Shortly after, he had ankle surgery on both ankles and missed the remainder of the 2006-07 season.

On June 28, 2007, the Sonics traded Allen and Glen Davis, the 35th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, to the Celtics in exchange for Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, and the fifth overall pick, Jeff Green.

On November 4, 2007, Allen passed 17,000 points for his career with his first of two 3-pointers in overtime in a 98-95 victory against the Toronto Raptors, in which he sank the game winning 3-pointer with three seconds remaining in overtime.[7]

On February 13, 2008, Allen was named by NBA Commissioner David Stern to replace injured East All-Star Caron Butler of the Washington Wizards, who was out with a left hip flexor strain, for the 2008 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans. While LeBron James was given the All-Star MVP Award, many analysts, including the TNT commentators of the game, felt it should have gone to Allen, who scored 14 points in a stretch of 2 minutes and 30 seconds in the fourth quarter to seal the win for the East team.

On March 28, 2008, Allen was honored as the 3rd best of the 20 greatest players in franchise history during Milwaukee's 40th Anniversary Team Celebration, but couldn't attend the festivities because of the Celtics' game against the New Orleans Hornets.[6][8][9]

On June 17, 2008, in the series-ending Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Allen tied an NBA Finals record with seven three-pointers in the Celtics' 131–92 victory of the Los Angeles Lakers,[10] and also broke the record for three-pointers made in a NBA Finals series with 22, eclipsing the previous record of 17 by Dan Majerle and Derek Harper.[11]

On February 5, 2009, Ray was named as the All-Star replacement for Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson. This marks Allen's ninth time on the All-Star team and the second straight year he has made it alongside teammates Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

On February 22, 2009, with his streak ending at 72, Allen broke the Celtics franchise record in consecutive free throws made previously set by Larry Bird (71).

In the first round of the 2009 playoffs against the Chicago Bulls, game one proved to be tough for Allen. He ended up shooting 1-11 from the field, and the Celtics lost by two. In game 2 however, Allen nailed the game winning three-pointer at the end of regulation with two seconds left to cap off an impressive 30 point night.[12] Boston ended up winning the series in 7 Games. He reunited with former teammate and co-captain of the Seattle Sonics, Rashard Lewis in the Conference Semifinals, this time as opponents, however. After 4 games and a 2-2 series tie, his highest scoring game was a 22 point performance in a Game 2 victory. [13]

Acting career

In 1998, Allen co-starred alongside Denzel Washington in the Spike Lee movie He Got Game as high school basketball phenomenon Jesus Shuttlesworth. Roger Ebert praised Allen as a "rarity: an athlete who can act,"[14] while New York magazine described him as "graceful and fast in the basketball scenes" while giving "a somberly effective minimalist performance."[15] His role as Shuttlesworth earned him the nickname "Jesus" from teammates and fans.[16]

Allen also appeared as Marcus Blake in the 2001 film Harvard Man.