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Rafer Alston

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Rafer Alston
Alston with the Houston Rockets in 2007
Personal information
Born (1976-07-24) July 24, 1976 (age 48)
Queens, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolBenjamin N. Cardozo
(Queens, New York)
College
NBA draft1998: 2nd round, 39th overall pick
Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks
Playing career1998–2012
PositionPoint guard
Number11, 24, 12, 1
Career history
1998–1999Idaho Stampede
1999–2002Milwaukee Bucks
2002–2003Mobile Revelers
2003Toronto Raptors
2003–2004Miami Heat
2004–2005Toronto Raptors
2005–2009Houston Rockets
2009Orlando Magic
2009–2010New Jersey Nets
2010Miami Heat
2011Zhejiang Lions
2012Los Angeles D-Fenders
Career NBA statistics
Points6,799 (10.1 ppg)
Rebounds1,891 (2.8 rpg)
Assists3,202 (4.8 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Rafer Jamel Alston (born July 24, 1976), nicknamed "Skip 2 My Lou",[a] is an American retired professional basketball player. Alston first gained basketball fame playing in the AND1 Mixtape Tour in 1999 before joining the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Milwaukee Bucks. While in the NBA from 1999 to 2010, he played for six teams, including the 2008–09 Orlando Magic team that made the NBA Finals.

Streetball legend

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Alston grew up in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York City, and was a standout streetball basketball player, known for his untraditional ballhandling moves that made him adept at outmaneuvering defenders.[1] He was the inspiration in many ways for the AND1 Mixtape Tour—a low-quality, jerky 1999 videotape of Alston's extreme playground moves, featuring helter-skelter crossover and other fast dribble moves faking out defenders, attracted a great deal of attention among players and basketball fans.[2][3] His trademark skipping dribble when bringing the ball down the court earned him the nickname, Skip to My Lou.[4]

He also played under well-known high school coach Ron Naclerio at Benjamin Cardozo High School in Queens, New York. Naclerio is credited with circulating the Alston tape and getting it in the hands of AND1 staff.[2]

College career

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Alston played college basketball for three seasons: one each at Ventura College (1994–95), Fresno City College (1996–97), and then for Jerry Tarkanian at Fresno State (1997–98). Alston was red-shirted at Fresno City College for the 1995–96 season.

Professional career

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Milwaukee Bucks (1999–2002)

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Alston struggled early in his NBA career, but successfully transitioned from streetball to the professional game.[5] He played off the bench for most of the time he was with the Bucks. On November 17, 2001, when filling in for Sam Cassell, Alston led the Bucks to a 104–93 win over the Utah Jazz with 14 points and 10 assists.[6]

Toronto Raptors (2003)

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Alston signed with the Golden State Warriors in 2002, but was waived in October before the season began.[7] On January 17, 2003, he signed with the Toronto Raptors.[8] He played in 47 games, averaged about 21 minutes per game, and averaged 7.8 points per game.[9]

Miami Heat (2003–2004)

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Following his tenure with the Raptors, Alston emerged as a starter for the Miami Heat in 2004. He did not disappoint, averaging 12 points and 4 assists on a young Miami team, led by rookie guard Dwyane Wade, that made it to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals of the 2004 NBA Playoffs. During that season, in a March 26 game against the Dallas Mavericks, he hit a game-winning shot in overtime with 0.5 seconds left over the outstretched arms of Shawn Bradley to catapult Miami to a 119–118 victory.[10]

Return to Toronto (2004–2005)

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Alston would sign a multi-year deal with the Toronto Raptors in the summer of 2004. In the 2004–2005 season, he played nearly all games that season (80), averaged about 34 minutes per game, and had his best point per game average (14.2) in his career.[9]

Houston Rockets (2005–2008)

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Alston was traded to the Houston Rockets for guard Mike James on October 4, 2005. Although Alston frequently was criticized for his attitude while in Toronto, it is believed that Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy conferred with his brother, Miami Heat coach Stan Van Gundy, who coached Alston during the 2003–04 NBA season, about Alston's work ethic and attitude. Jeff Van Gundy's reputation for toughness and his ability to get the most out of players previously considered "trouble-makers" or "temperamental" (e.g., Latrell Sprewell) led to optimism on the part of the Rockets' staff. In the 2006–07 season, as the Rockets starting point guard, Alston averaged 13.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He finished the season ninth in steals among all NBA players, fourth in three-pointers made, and 23rd in assists.[11] On November 12, 2008, Alston was suspended for two games without pay for his role in a fight after a non-call foul with Matt Barnes and Steve Nash.[12]

Orlando Magic (2009)

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Alston was traded to the Orlando Magic in a three-way deal on February 19, 2009,[13] and replaced the injured Jameer Nelson in the team's starting lineup. On April 30, 2009, Alston helped the Orlando Magic defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 4–2 in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Orlando then defeated the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers to advance to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games, after Alston was replaced in the starting lineup by returning star Jameer Nelson. The move was a somewhat controversial decision by Stan Van Gundy, because Alston had led the team to the playoffs.[14] Alston averaged 10.6 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.2 rebounds in the Finals. In the 2009 playoffs, Alston started every game he played in.[citation needed]

New Jersey Nets (2009–2010)

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Alston with the New Jersey Nets in 2009

On June 25, 2009, he was traded to the New Jersey Nets along with Tony Battie and Courtney Lee in exchange for Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson.[15] He had his first triple-double as a member of the New Jersey Nets in 2009–2010. On January 5, 2010, he was released by the Nets in hopes of letting him play for a contender.

Return to Miami (2010)

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On January 7, 2010, he cleared waivers and signed with the Miami Heat for the second time.[16] After starting 25 games for Heat, Miami replaced Alston with Carlos Arroyo as starting point guard. In a press release, Miami stated that Alston "made contact with the team via text message...has made himself otherwise unavailable to the team"[17] and he was immediately suspended on March 6, 2010, for missing practice and a game. On March 13, 2010, Miami upgraded his suspension for the remainder of the season.[18] Thus, Alston's final NBA game was played on March 2, 2010, in a 110–106 win over the Golden State Warriors. In Alston's final game, although he was the Heat's starting point guard, he only played for 7 minutes and the only stat he recorded was 1 rebound.

Zhejiang Lions (2011)

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On January 26, 2011, Alston signed with the Zhejiang Lions in the CBA for the remainder of the season.[19][20] In late February, it was reported that he had left the team to attend a friend's funeral, and the team, believing he was unlikely to return because he had been injured and refused to see a doctor, told him to not return.[21] Alston played 8 games for the Lions and averaged 19.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists.

Los Angeles D-Fenders (2012)

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In 2012, Alston signed with the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA D-League.[22] This would be his last run as a professional basketball player.

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During 1998, he was convicted of assaulting two neighbors in Fresno.[23]

On Sunday morning, August 5, 2007, Alston was arrested in downtown Houston on misdemeanor charges of assault and public intoxication.[24] The charges brought against Alston for the incident were dropped on February 29, 2008.[5]

He was also arrested on August 7, 2008, and charged with DWI.[25]

He was arrested yet again early Tuesday morning, August 28, 2007, in New York for allegedly slashing a man on the neck during a nightclub altercation.[26] Neither the club owner, police, nor security tapes have provided any evidence of the incident occurring.[27]

NBA career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Led the league

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1999–2000 Milwaukee 27 0 13.4 .284 .214 .750 .9 2.6 .4 .0 2.3
2000–01 Milwaukee 37 2 7.8 .357 .267 .692 .8 1.8 .4 .0 2.1
2001–02 Milwaukee 50 7 12.0 .346 .380 .621 1.4 2.9 .6 .0 3.5
2002–03 Toronto 47 4 20.9 .415 .392 .685 2.3 4.1 .8 .3 7.8
2003–04 Miami 82 28 31.5 .376 .371 .769 2.8 4.5 1.4 .2 10.2
2004–05 Toronto 80 78 34.0 .414 .357 .740 3.5 6.4 1.5 .1 14.2
2005–06 Houston 63 63 38.6 .379 .327 .692 4.0 6.7 1.6 .2 12.1
2006–07 Houston 82* 82* 37.1 .375 .363 .734 3.4 5.4 1.6 .1 13.3
2007–08 Houston 74 74 34.1 .394 .351 .715 3.5 5.3 1.3 .2 13.1
2008–09 Houston 48 48 33.1 .370 .348 .789 3.0 5.4 1.2 .1 11.5
2008–09 Orlando 28 28 29.5 .413 .317 .707 2.9 5.1 1.8 .1 12.0
2009–10 New Jersey 27 13 28.4 .343 .322 .815 2.8 3.9 1.0 .2 9.7
2009–10 Miami 25 25 26.2 .355 .370 .556 2.2 2.9 .9 .2 6.6
Career 671 452 28.9 .383 .354 .729 2.8 4.8 1.2 .2 10.1

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2000 Milwaukee 4 0 4.0 .000 .000 .000 .0 .3 .0 .0 .0
2001 Milwaukee 5 0 1.6 .000 .000 .000 .0 .2 .0 .0 .0
2004 Miami 13 0 22.7 .319 .231 .840 2.2 1.7 .4 .1 7.0
2007 Houston 7 7 44.1 .338 .320 .769 6.9 5.0 1.9 .4 10.9
2008 Houston 4 4 31.5 .438 .440 .800 1.5 4.5 1.0 .0 14.3
2009 Orlando 23 23 32.2 .380 .319 .750 2.4 4.1 1.4 .2 12.2
Career 56 34 26.7 .365 .311 .764 2.5 3.1 1.0 .1 9.0

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Also stylised as "Skip to My Lou".

References

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  1. ^ Scheiber, Dave (April 17, 2009). "Former streetball star Rafer Alston has stabilized the NBA playoff-bound Orlando Magic". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Teams, Leagues etc". Streetballin.net. Archived from the original on August 30, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  3. ^ "Introducing The SLAM Legend of the Week: Rafer Alston". SLAMonline. May 27, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  4. ^ Wharton, David (June 7, 2009). "From 'Skip' to Rafer – his ultimate crossover". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  5. ^ Beck, Howard (April 11, 2009). "Alston Is a Key to Magic's Playoff Run". The New York Times. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
  6. ^ UPI: Milwaukee 104, Utah 93
  7. ^ Rafer Alston Transactions
  8. ^ Stein, Marc (July 7, 2004). "Sources: Street-ball legend agrees to 6-year deal". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  9. ^ a b "Rafer Alston Career Stats - NBA". ESPN. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  10. ^ "Alston's 3 with 0.5 left in OT wins it". ESPN.com. March 26, 2004. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  11. ^ "NBA.com : Rafer Alston Bio Page". NBA.com. Archived from the original on December 23, 2009. Retrieved December 25, 2009.
  12. ^ [1][dead link‍]
  13. ^ Stein, Marc (February 20, 2009). "Magic to acquire Alston in 3-team deal". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
  14. ^ Dunlap, Evan (June 22, 2009). "Examining the Orlando Magic's Rafer Alston/Jameer Nelson Point Guard "Controversy"". Orlando Pinstriped Post. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  15. ^ "Nets Acquire Rafer Alston, Tony Battie and Courtney Lee from Orlando". NBA.com. June 25, 2009. Retrieved June 27, 2009.
  16. ^ "Heat sign Alston off waivers". ESPN.com. January 7, 2010. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  17. ^ "Heat suspend disgruntled G Alston indefinitely". March 7, 2010.
  18. ^ "Archived copy". NBA.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2010. Retrieved February 22, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. ^ CBA: Alston signs with Zhejiang Guangsha(Mandarin) Archived January 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ "CBA Recap: Guangsha Signs Rafer Alston, Stephon Marbury Returns to Shanxi". City Weekend. January 26, 2011. Archived from the original on November 14, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  21. ^ Shoals, Bethlehem (March 1, 2011). "Did Rafer Alston Fake An Injury To Get Out Of Playing In China?". Business Insider. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  22. ^ "D-FENDERS ACQUIRE RAFER ALSTON". NBA.com. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  23. ^ "Fresno's Alston Faces Sentencing". Associated Press.
  24. ^ "Rockets' Alston arrested, charged with assault, public intoxication". ESPN.com. August 6, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  25. ^ Testimony Begins in DWI Trial of Rockets Guard Alston, retrieved October 24, 2008[dead link‍]
  26. ^ Alston accused of slashing man in club Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved August 28, 2007
  27. ^ "Bridget Moynahan to Tom Brady: Take a hike". Daily News. August 30, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
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