 Alston with theHouston Rockets in 2007 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1976-07-24)July 24, 1976 (age 49) Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Benjamin N. Cardozo (Queens, New York) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 1998: 2nd round, 39th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Playing career | 1998–2012 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 11, 24, 12, 1 |
| Career history | |
| 1998–1999 | Idaho Stampede |
| 1999–2002 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2002–2003 | Mobile Revelers |
| 2003 | Toronto Raptors |
| 2003–2004 | Miami Heat |
| 2004–2005 | Toronto Raptors |
| 2005–2009 | Houston Rockets |
| 2009 | Orlando Magic |
| 2009–2010 | New Jersey Nets |
| 2010 | Miami Heat |
| 2011 | Zhejiang Lions |
| 2012 | Los Angeles D-Fenders |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 6,799 (10.1 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,891 (2.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 3,202 (4.8 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Rafer Jamel Alston (born July 24, 1976), nicknamed "Skip 2 My Lou" afterthe American folk song and partner-stealing dance with the same name,[a] is an American retired professionalbasketball player. Alston first gained basketball fame as astreetball player before joining theNational Basketball Association (NBA) with theMilwaukee Bucks. While in the NBA from 1999 to 2010, he played for six teams, including the2008–09 Orlando Magic team that made the NBA Finals.
Alston grew up in theJamaica neighborhood ofQueens, New York City, and was a standoutstreetball basketball player, known for his untraditional ballhandling moves that made him adept at outmaneuvering defenders.[1] He was the inspiration in many ways for theAND1 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]
Alston playedcollege basketball for three seasons: one each atVentura College (1994–95),Fresno City College (1996–97), and then forJerry Tarkanian atFresno State (1997–98). Alston wasred-shirted at Fresno City College for the 1995–96 season.
Alston struggled early in his NBA career, but successfully transitioned fromstreetball 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 forSam Cassell, Alston led the Bucks to a 104–93 win over theUtah Jazz with 14 points and 10 assists.[6]
Alston signed with theGolden State Warriors in 2002, but was waived in October before the season began.[7] On January 17, 2003, he signed with theToronto Raptors.[8] He played in 47 games, averaged about 21 minutes per game, and averaged 7.8 points per game.[9]
Following his tenure with theRaptors, Alston emerged as a starter for theMiami Heat in 2004. He did not disappoint, averaging 12 points and 4 assists on a young Miami team, led by rookie guardDwyane Wade, that made it to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals of the2004 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 ofShawn Bradley to catapult Miami to a 119–118 victory.[10]
Alston would sign a six-year, $26.3 million 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]
Alston was traded to theHouston Rockets for guardMike James on October 4, 2005. Although Alston frequently was criticized for his attitude while in Toronto, it is believed that Rockets coachJeff Van Gundy conferred with his brother,Miami Heat coachStan 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 withMatt Barnes andSteve Nash.[12]
Alston was traded to theOrlando Magic in a three-way deal on February 19, 2009,[13] and replaced the injuredJameer Nelson in the team's starting lineup. On April 30, 2009, Alston helped the Orlando Magic defeat thePhiladelphia 76ers 4–2 in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Orlando then defeated theBoston Celtics andCleveland Cavaliers to advance to theNBA Finals, where they lost to theLos 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]
On June 25, 2009, he was traded to theNew Jersey Nets along withTony Battie andCourtney Lee in exchange forVince Carter andRyan 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.
On January 7, 2010, he cleared waivers and signed with theMiami 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.
On January 26, 2011, Alston signed with theZhejiang Lions in theCBA 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.
In 2012, Alston signed with theLos Angeles D-Fenders of theNBA D-League.[22] This would be his last run as a professional basketball player.
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.[citation needed]
He was arrested yet again early Tuesday morning, August 28, 2007, inNew York for allegedly slashing a man on the neck during a nightclub altercation.[25] Neither the club owner, police, nor security tapes have provided any evidence of the incident occurring.[26]
He was also arrested on August 7, 2008, and charged with DWI.[27]
| 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 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | Fresno State | 33 | – | 31.2 | .401 | .337 | .758 | 2.2 | 7.3 | 2.1 | .4 | 11.0 |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)