Ray Allen

Walter Ray Allen Jr. (born July 20, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player.

Allen attended the University of Connecticut from 1993 to 1996.

As a freshman with the Huskies in 1993–94, Allen came off the bench in 34 games he played, averaging 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 21.6 minutes per game.

He was subsequently named to the Big East All-Freshman Team.

As a sophomore in 1994–95, Allen played 32 games with 31 starts, averaging 21.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.9 steals in 32.8 minutes per game.

He was subsequently named first-team All-Big East.

As a junior in 1995–96, Allen started all 35 games and averaged 23.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals in 34.7 minutes per game.

He was subsequently named the Big East Player of the Year and earned first-team All-Big East.

The Huskies won their third consecutive Big East Conference regular season title and played in their third consecutive NCAA Tournament.

He entered the NBA in 1996 as the fifth overall selection.

In the NBA, he developed into a prolific scorer for the Milwaukee Bucks, featuring alongside Glenn Robinson and Sam Cassell as the team achieved playoff success.

However, the trio were unable to capture a championship, and Allen was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics.

In Seattle, Allen's reputation as a scorer was solidified; he would break several league records for three-point and free throw shooting.

Allen declared for the 1996 NBA draft.

During his NBA career, Allen acted in some films, such as his role as basketball prodigy Jesus Shuttlesworth in Spike Lee's basketball drama He Got Game (1998).

Allen's performance as Shuttlesworth was greatly praised by critics, and the name was borrowed as Allen's basketball nickname.

The third of five children, Allen was born at Castle Air Force Base near Merced, California, the son of Walter Sr. and Flora Allen.

A military child, he spent time growing up in Saxmundham, Suffolk, England, in Altus, Oklahoma, at Edwards Air Force Base in California, and in Germany.

After years of traveling and continual moving, his family settled in Dalzell, South Carolina for the next four years, where he would attend high school.

When he first arrived, the young Allen was often made the odd-man-out, whom kids often picked on, due to the accent acquired during his formative years in Britain.

Although never completely fitting in with the other kids, Allen's natural athletic gifts, and his obsession with hard work, allowed him to excel in every sport he played.

When a growth spurt left him with a natural advantage in basketball, he decided to dedicate his free time to becoming the best basketball player he possibly could.

Fueled by his desire to become the top player on the military base where he lived, Allen practiced at length daily, so long as it did not interfere with his studies.

By the age of fifteen, he was playing for Hillcrest High School's varsity team, and would eventually lead them to their first state championship game.

In that game, Allen showed his NBA potential by posting an impressive 25 points, to go along with 12 rebounds, in a blowout victory for Hillcrest Wildcats.

At Hillcrest, he was teammates with future Major League Baseball player Terrell Wade.

Amid the resulting attention from colleges, especially from the University of Kentucky, Allen ultimately accepted an offer from the University of Connecticut.

Allen's list of individual accolades are extensive; he gained ten NBA All-Star designations, he won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the 2000 United States men's basketball team, he held the NBA record in career three-point field goals made in the regular season from 2011 to 2021, and has additionally scored the third most three-pointers in the postseason.

In January 2001, Allen was named honorary captain of the 25-member UConn All-Century Basketball Team.

Despite this, a title still eluded Allen, and he was traded to the Boston Celtics in 2007.

In February 2007, he was an inaugural inductee in the UConn men's basketball "Huskies of Honor" recognition program.

In Boston, Allen and new teammates Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce formed a "Big Three" and had immediate success, winning an NBA championship in 2008.

He remained with the franchise for five seasons, before departing in free agency to join the Miami Heat for two seasons.

Allen is widely considered to be one of the greatest three-point shooters of all-time, and he held the record for most three-pointers made in a career from 2011 until 2021, when he was surpassed by Stephen Curry.

Allen played college basketball for the Connecticut Huskies for three seasons, gaining a reputation as an efficient long-range shooter.

In Miami, Allen accepted a reserve role, emphasizing spot-up and clutch shooting, which allowed him to capture another championship in 2013.

His clutch three-pointer to tie Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals with 5.2 seconds remaining is regarded as one of the most memorable plays in NBA history.

He played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 2018.

As of 2018, his 1,922 point total ranked fifth all-time, his 19.0 career average was fourth, his 44.8 three-point field goal percentage was first, and the 818 points he scored as a junior was the third-highest season total in UConn history.

In March 2019, his number 34 jersey was retired by UConn.