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Allen Leavell
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Allen Frazier Leavell (born May 27, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player from Muncie, Indiana. He had a ten-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Key Information
Career
[edit]Amateur
[edit]At Muncie Central High School, Leavell averaged 18 points per game in his final year.[1] A 6-foot-1-inch (1.85 m), 170-pound (77 kg) point guard, he enrolled in Oklahoma City University and played for the then-Division 1 Men's Basketball Team, averaging 22 points in 1978–1979.[1]
Playing career
[edit]Leavell was selected in the fifth round of the 1979 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets, going on to play ten seasons in the NBA, all as a member of the Rockets, appearing in exactly 700 games in the regular season. On January 25, 1983, he set a franchise record with 22 assists in a game. Over the whole 1982–1983 season, he was the team's leaders in points, steals, and assists.[2][3]
Leavell was waived early in the 1986–87 season by the Rockets and then signed again a few months later after the team lost two players due to drug suspensions.[4]
In his NBA career, he averaged 9.5 points per game and 4.8 assists per game. Leavell participated in two NBA Finals (in 1981 and 1986), in two losses against the Boston Celtics. He finishes as the third all-time with the Rocket Franchise in both assists (3,339) and steals (929).[5]
In 1989, he joined the Continental Basketball Association playing for the Tulsa Fastbreakers but was suspended after assaulting a referee.[6]
Post-NBA
[edit]As someone who played exclusively with the Houston Rockets within the NBA, Leavell remained involved in the team, participating in community outreach[7] and serving as commentator with local outlets.[8]
He is inducted into the Oklahoma City University Hall of Fame.[9]
Career statistics
[edit]| 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 |
NBA
[edit]Source[10]
Regular season
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979–80 | Houston | 77 | 27.6 | .503 | .158 | .814 | 2.4 | 5.4 | 1.6 | .4 | 10.9 | |
| 1980–81 | Houston | 79 | 21.3 | .471 | .118 | .832 | 1.7 | 4.9 | 1.2 | .2 | 8.1 | |
| 1981–82 | Houston | 79 | 61 | 27.2 | .467 | .290 | .852 | 2.1 | 5.8 | 1.9 | .2 | 10.9 |
| 1982–83 | Houston | 79 | 76 | 32.9 | .415 | .240 | .832 | 2.5 | 6.7 | 2.1 | .2 | 14.8 |
| 1983–84 | Houston | 82* | 27 | 24.5 | .477 | .155 | .832 | 1.4 | 5.6 | 1.3 | .1 | 11.5 |
| 1984–85 | Houston | 42 | 0 | 12.8 | .421 | .216 | .772 | .9 | 2.4 | .5 | .1 | 5.4 |
| 1985–86 | Houston | 74 | 12 | 16.1 | .463 | .358 | .854 | .9 | 3.2 | .8 | .1 | 7.9 |
| 1986–87 | Houston | 53 | 11 | 22.2 | .411 | .316 | .840 | 1.2 | 4.2 | 1.0 | .2 | 7.8 |
| 1987–88 | Houston | 80 | 54 | 26.9 | .437 | .216 | .869 | 1.9 | 5.1 | 1.6 | .1 | 10.2 |
| 1988–89 | Houston | 55 | 3 | 11.4 | .346 | .122 | .733 | 1.0 | 2.3 | .5 | .1 | 3.3 |
| Career | 700 | 244 | 23.2 | .450 | .234 | .834 | 1.7 | 4.8 | 1.3 | .2 | 9.5 | |
Playoffs
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Houston | 7 | 21.3 | .263 | .000 | .905 | 1.7 | 3.4 | .9 | .0 | 5.6 | |
| 1981 | Houston | 17 | 12.8 | .390 | – | .882 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 1.1 | .2 | 4.4 | |
| 1982 | Houston | 3 | 31.0 | .426 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 1.3 | .3 | 14.0 | |
| 1985 | Houston | 5 | 0 | 3.2 | .333 | .000 | 1.000 | .6 | .6 | .0 | .0 | 1.2 |
| 1986 | Houston | 15 | 0 | 11.3 | .300 | .467 | .870 | 1.0 | 2.7 | .6 | .0 | 5.0 |
| 1987 | Houston | 10 | 10 | 38.4 | .411 | .250 | .817 | 2.5 | 7.2 | 1.9 | .3 | 14.1 |
| 1988 | Houston | 4 | 0 | 9.5 | .368 | .333 | 1.000 | .8 | 2.3 | .5 | .0 | 5.0 |
| 1989 | Houston | 2 | 0 | 2.5 | .333 | – | 1.000 | .0 | .5 | .0 | .0 | 2.0 |
| Career | 63 | 10 | 17.0 | .366 | .295 | .863 | 1.3 | 3.2 | .9 | .1 | 6.4 | |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Neddenriep, Kyle. "Build-A-Team: Putting together the best Muncie Central basketball team". The Indianapolis Star.
- ^ Solomon, Jerome (January 22, 2021). "Solomon: What are the Rockets missing? James Harden". Houston Chronicle.
- ^ Miller, Kerry. "The 10 Worst Teams in NBA History". Bleacher Report.
- ^ "Houston Rockets Coach Bill Fitch, who has built winning..." UPI.
- ^ "Houston Rockets Franchise Index". Basketball-Reference.com.
- ^ "AROUND THE NBA". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. May 31, 1990. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
- ^ Wexler, Adam (June 14, 2019). "Rockets participate in Give Back Volunteer Day at the Houston Food Bank". KPRC.
- ^ "Allen Leavell: Rockets Need A Lot Of Work To Become Contenders Again". June 13, 2016.
- ^ "OCU Inducts Pair Into Hall of Fame". Oklahoman.com. November 13, 1988.
- ^ "Allen Leavell NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2025.