 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1950-07-03)July 3, 1950 (age 74) Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Nationality | American / Israeli |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 216 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | West Side (Newark, New Jersey) |
| College | Bethune-Cookman (1971–1973) |
| NBA draft | 1974: Supplemental round |
| Drafted by | Boston Celtics |
| Playing career | 1974–1985 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 8 |
| Career history | |
| 1974–1975 | Virginia Squires |
| 1974–1976 | Allentown Jets |
| 1976–1985 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |
Aulcie Perry (Hebrew:אולסי פרי; born July 3, 1950[1]) is a retired American-Israeli professionalbasketball player. He helpedMaccabi Tel Aviv win twoEuroLeague championships, during his nine seasons with the team. During his playing career, he was listed at 2.08 m (6'10") tall, and 98 kg (215 lbs.) in weight, and he played at thecenter position.
In 1987, Perry was convicted of drug-smuggling. He was sentenced to ten years in prison. He was released in January 1992.
Perry was born inNewark, New Jersey.[1] He attended Newark'sWest Side High School, where he played high school basketball.
Perry graduated fromBethune-Cookman University in Florida, where he playedcollege basketball with theWildcats.[2][3]
Perry was selected by theBoston Celtics as a supplemental pick in the1974 NBA draft.[4] He signed to theVirginia Squires of theAmerican Basketball Association (ABA) in 1974. Perry was cut from the team during the 1974–75 season, however, and spent the balance of the season with theAllentown Jets, of theEastern Basketball Association (EBA). He won theEBA championship,[5] was selected as theEBA Rookie of the Year and named to the All-EBA First Team in 1975.[6] The following season, he was signed by theNew York Knicks, but he never played for the team. After being released by the Knicks, Perry returned to the Jets.[2] He won a second EBA championship[7] and was selected to the All-EBA Second Team in 1976.[6]
During the summer of 1976, Perry was spotted by ascout forMaccabi Tel Aviv, while playing at theRucker courts inHarlem. Maccabi Tel Aviv signed Perry forUS$6,000 a month,[8] a small sum by American standards, but at the time, one of the highest salaries in theIsraeli Super League, in which Maccabi Tel Aviv competed.[9] The other players on the team responded to his leadership and the team had whatSports Illustrated writerAlexander Wolff described as "the most extraordinary season in its remarkable history"[10] and what Perry called "the best nine months of [his] life".[9] In 1977, Perry helped to lead the team to its firstFIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague) championship, a prize they took again four years later.[11] Perry played a total of nine seasons with Maccabi Tel Aviv,[12] during which the team won eightIsraeli Cups and nineIsraeli League championships.[13]
Perry became a celebrity in Israel. He was congratulated by Prime MinistersYitzhak Rabin[14] andMenachem Begin,[15] who said he helped bring "honor to the people of Israel".[3] He began dating Israeli modelTami Ben-Ami, and the couple were the darlings of the press.[15] Everywhere Perry went, he was besieged by fans seeking his autograph.[16] In Israel, his name became a generic phrase for a tall person;[17] one Israeli might remark to another that her child had grown into a real Aulcie Perry, and a children's song byArik Einstein included the lyrics "If only I were tall like Aulcie Perry".[18]
After the 1977–78 season, Perryconverted to Judaism. He adopted theHebrew name Elisha ben Avraham (אלישע בן אברהם). Shortly thereafter, Perry became an Israeli citizen.[19]
In December 1982, Perry missed a game againstReal Madrid. The team told reporters that he was sick withthe flu, but in fact a worsening drug problem had kept him from the game. In March 1983, Perry was arrested and charged with buyingheroin; he pleaded guilty and was given a fine of $150,000 and asuspended sentence.[12]
Perry and his cousin, Kenneth Johnson, were detained in September 1985, when they flew fromAmsterdam to New York. Johnson was arrested whencustoms officials found that the portable stereo he was carrying contained 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg) of 89 percent pure heroin, with an estimated street value of $1.8 million.[16][20] The U.S.Drug Enforcement Administration spent the next several months accumulating evidence against Perry, who they suspected was involved with the drug smuggling. In January 1986, awarrant was issued for his arrest. After nine months of fightingextradition, Perry returned to New York for trial.[21]
At the trial, prosecutors portrayed Perry as the mastermind behind the smuggling scheme. Johnson had never been abroad before, but Perry was an experienced traveler. Perry had paid for airline tickets in cash, and he was seen traveling with a bagful of cash. Finally, a flight attendant recognized him from the airplane, where Perry had been holding the portable stereo.[22]
In February 1987, Perry was convicted of conspiracy to import heroin, importation of heroin, and possession of heroin with intent to distribute.[20] Two months later, he was sentenced to ten years in prison.[23] He was released in January 1992.[24]
After his release from prison in January 1992, Perry returned to Israel, where he managed aBurger Ranch restaurant.[25] He sponsors a basketball camp for children in Israel.[3] Perry also coaches one of Maccabi Tel Aviv's youth teams.[26]
הלוואי שהייתי גבוה כמו אולסי פרי