Rafer Alston

Position	Point guard
Nickname	Skip to My Lou, Skip 2 My Lou
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	175 lb (79 kg)
Team	Houston Rockets
Nationality	USA
Born	July 24, 1976 (1976-07-24) (age 31) Queens, New York City
High school	Cardozo High School
College	Fresno State
Draft	39th overall, 1998 Milwaukee Bucks
Pro career	2000–present
Former teams	Milwaukee Bucks 2000-2002 Toronto Raptors 2003, 2004-2005 Miami Heat 2003-2004

Rafer Jamel Alston, a.k.a. Skip To My Lou or Skip 2 My Lou (born July 24, 1976 in Queens, New York City), is an American professional basketball player currently with the NBA's Houston Rockets. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. ... is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_York_City. ... For other uses, see Queens (disambiguation) and Queen. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Benjamin N. Cardozo High School is a high school in the Queens borough of New York City. ... The campus on a sunny day California State University, Fresno, commonly referred to as Fresno State, is one of the campuses of California State University, located at the northeast edge of Fresno, California, USA. The campus sits at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the San Joaquin... The 1998 NBA Draft took place on 24 June 1998 in General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The 1999-2000 NBA season was the 54th season of the National Basketball Association. ... The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario. ... The Miami Heat (known as the HEAT [in all capital letters] on official team publications) are a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. ... is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Queens (disambiguation) and Queen. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article is about the sport. ... NBA redirects here. ... The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. ...

Streetball legend

Alston grew up in Jamaica, Queens as a street basketball legend and has received most of his recognition for that aspect of his career. In high school at Cardozo he played in only 10 games his last two years but managed to score 319 points. He first came into the public spotlight for his starring in the And1 Mixtape Volume 1. In this mixtape, it had him performing his legendary dribbling moves on future NBA star Stephon Marbury. Prior to playing for Fresno State, Alston was regarded by many as the greatest streetball player ever. Alston was drafted after his junior year by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round, 39th pick overall, of the 1998 NBA Draft. Major Mark Park Jamaica is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Streetball. ... Benjamin N. Cardozo High School is a high school in the Queens borough of New York City. ... A pair of And 1 basketball shoes. ... Stephon Xavier Marbury (born February 20, 1977 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American professional basketball player, currently playing point guard with the New York Knicks. ... The campus on a sunny day California State University, Fresno, commonly referred to as Fresno State, is one of the campuses of California State University, located at the northeast edge of Fresno, California, USA. The campus sits at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the San Joaquin... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The 1998 NBA Draft took place on 24 June 1998 in General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ...

His nickname Skip To My Lou stemmed from his tendency to skip while dribbling the ball upcourt. He played in several prominent streetball tournaments including the Entertainer's Basketball Classic, the North American street basketball tour, the AND1 Mixtape Tour, and the ESPN TV show, Street Ball. It is said that, during a streetball tournament at the legendary Rucker Park in Harlem, Alston once performed what most would regard as an impossible move: during a fastbreak, he supposedly glided in the paint for a layup attempt but made a change of plans in the air as he rolled the ball down his right arm, across his shoulder and down his left arm to a trailing player for a finishing dunk.^[1] Since 2006, Alston has served as the spokesperson for the Houston Rockets Blacktop Battle -- a popular 3-on-3 tournament held every spring in Houston.^[2] Entertainers Basketball Classic is street ball tournament that is played at Rucker Park and is often referred to as 155th street. ... AND1 Mixtape Tour 2005 The AND1 Mixtape Tour is a traveling basketball competition and exhibition sponsored by the basketball apparel manufacturer AND1. ... ESPN/ESPN-DT, formerly an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an [[United States|Amer<nowiki>Insert non-formatted text here--68. ... streetball, as the name suggest. ... Rucker Park is a basketball court in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located at 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, in the Harlem neighborhood. ... For other uses, see Harlem (disambiguation). ...

NBA career

Despite his cult following from the streetball circuit, Alston decided to make the transition to the professional game. After sitting on the bench for most of the time on a talented Milwaukee Bucks squad, he 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 that made it to the first round of the playoffs. During that season, in a March 26th 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. He signed with the Toronto Raptors during the summer of 2004. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Miami Heat (known as the HEAT [in all capital letters] on official team publications) are a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Following a tumultuous tenure with the Toronto Raptors, 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 2003-2004 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) has led to optimism on the part of the Rockets' staff [2]. In the 2006-2007 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 9th in the NBA in steals, 4th in three pointers made, and 20th in assists. He also had the worst field goal percentage in the NBA among qualified players at 37.6%. The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario. ... The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. ... This article is about the basketball player. ... Jeff Van Gundy (born January 19, 1962 in Hemet, California) is an American basketball head coach, currently for the National Basketball Associations Houston Rockets. ... The Miami Heat (known as the HEAT [in all capital letters] on official team publications) are a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. ... Stan Van Gundy, the brother of Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy, is an American basketball coach in the NBA. From 2003 to 2005, he was the head coach of the Miami Heat. ... Latrell Fontaine Sprewell (born September 8, 1970 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is a former American professional basketball player who last played for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2004-05 NBA season. ...

Legal troubles

On Sunday morning, August 5, 2007, Alston was arrested in downtown Houston on misdemeanor charges of assault and public intoxication.^[3] He was arrested again in the early hours of Tuesday, August 28 in New York on charges of allegedly slashing a man on the neck during a nightclub altercation.^[4] Neither the club owner, police, nor security tapes have provided any evidence of the incident occurring.^[5] New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

Career transactions

• Played in the Continental Basketball Association with the Idaho Stampede.
• Signed by the Milwaukee Bucks as a free agent in 1999.
• Played in the NBA Development League for a year. He signed a 10-day contract to the Toronto Raptors then signed a contract for the remainder of the 2002-03 NBA season.
• Signed as a free agent with the Miami Heat for the 2003-04 NBA season.
• Signed as a free agent with the Toronto Raptors through the 2004-05 NBA season.
• Traded to the Houston Rockets on October 4, 2005, for point guard Mike James.

The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) is a professional mens basketball league in the United States. ... The Idaho Stampede are an American basketball team that play in the NBA Development League. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the year. ... The NBA Development League, or D-League, is the National Basketball Associations officially sponsored and operated developmental basketball organization. ... The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario. ... The 2002-03 NBA season is the 57th season of the National Basketball Association. ... The Miami Heat (known as the HEAT [in all capital letters] on official team publications) are a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. ... The 2003-04 NBA season is the 58th season of the National Basketball Association. ... The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario. ... The 2004-05 NBA season was the 59th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). ... The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. ... This article is about the basketball player. ...

Notes

1. ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/basketball/more/07/25/summer.basketball/index.html
2. ^ http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/2006_Big_Blacktop_Battle-163331-822.html
3. ^ Rockets' Alston arrested, charged with assault, public intoxication, retrieved August 6, 2007
4. ^ Alston accused of slashing man in club, retrieved August 28, 2007
5. ^ [1], retrieved August 31, 2007

is the 218th day of the year (219th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 240th day of the year (241st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

External links

• Streetball Player Page
• NBA player profile
• ClutchFans.net Rafer Alston Profile - Houston Rocket Fan Site