Ray Allen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with Allan Ray.

Ray Allen
Position	Shooting guard
Height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg)
Team	Seattle SuperSonics
Nationality	United States
Born	July 20, 1975 Merced, California
College	University of Connecticut
Draft	5^th overall, 1996 Minnesota Timberwolves
Pro career	1996 – present
Former teams	Milwaukee Bucks (1996–2003)
Awards	NBA All-Star Three-point Contest winner (2001)

Walter Ray Allen (born July 20, 1975 in Merced, California) is an American professional basketball player for the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics, for whom he plays shooting guard. Allen is known as one of the best jump shooters in the game, especially from long range.

1 College
2 NBA career
3 Awards/honors
4 Trivia
5 External links

[edit] College

Allen was a highly successful college basketball player at the University of Connecticut from 1993–96. He earned All-American status during the 1994-95 season and was also named USA Basketball's Male Athlete of the Year for 1995. In his next and final college season, Allen was named first team All-America and received the Big East Player of the Year award.

[edit] NBA career

Drafted out of UConn by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth pick of the 1996 NBA Draft, Allen was shipped, along with a future first-round draft pick, to the Milwaukee Bucks for the rights to fourth pick Stephon Marbury.

Named to the NBA's All-Rookie 2nd Team in 1997, Allen evolved into an elite player, averaging at least 20 points per game in each of the last seven seasons.

He is regarded as one of the best shooters in NBA history, having made nearly 40% of his three-point attempts and almost 90% of his free throw attempts. In 2001, he won the NBA All-Star Weekend three-point contest.

Allen played with the Bucks for the first 6½ years of his career until 47 games into the 2002-03 season, when he, along with guards Kevin Ollie, Ronald Murray and a conditional first-round draft pick, was dealt to the Sonics for Gary Payton and Desmond Mason. The move to Seattle has not adversely affected Allen's game, however, as he bounced back from an injury-riddled 2004 to be voted to the All-NBA Second Team in 2005.

Allen re-signed with the Seattle SuperSonics in 2005 for a 5-year contract worth $80 million, with $5 million more in performance bonuses. In the 2005–06 regular season he averaged a career-high 25.1 points per game while adding 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

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 three-point field goals made in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers, behind only legendary marksman Reggie Miller.

On April 19, 2006, against the Denver Nuggets, Allen broke Dennis Scott's ten-year-old NBA record for three-point field goals in a season by sinking his 268th. At the end of the game, Allen received a standing ovation from the home crowd.

[edit] Awards/honors

All-NBA Second Team: 2005
All-NBA Third Team: 2001
6-time NBA All-Star: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006
NBA All-Rookie Second Team: 1997
NBA Joe Dumars Sportsmanship Award: 2003
NBA All-Star Weekend Three-point Shootout champion: 2001
Holds NBA record for most three-point field goals made in a regular season with 269 in 2005-06 [1].
NBA regular season leader, three-point field goals attempted: 2006 (653)
NBA all-time career three-point field goals made: 2nd with 1,798 (as of December 3, 2006)
Holds NBA record for most seasons leading the league in three-point field goals made with 3 (2001-02 with 229, 2002-03 with 201, 2005-06 with 269)
Shares NBA record for most three-point field goals made in one half with 8 (April 14, 2002 vs. the Charlotte Hornets).
Holds Milwaukee Bucks franchise records for most consecutive games played (400), most career three-point field goals made (1,051), and most career three-point field goals attempted (2,587).
Member of the 2000 United States Men's basketball team, which won gold at the Sydney Olympics.

Olympic medal record
Men's Basketball
Gold	Sydney, Australia	Basketball

[edit] Trivia

Allen played high school basketball for the former Hillcrest High School (succeeded by Crestwood High School) in Dalzell, South Carolina, taking them to a state championship.
He starred as "Jesus Shuttlesworth" in the Spike Lee film He Got Game, where he played a star high school basketball player.