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Rafer Alston
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Rafer Alston
Rafer Jamel Alston (born July 24, 1976), nicknamed "Skip 2 My Lou" after the American folk song and partner-stealing dance with the same name, is an American retired professional basketball player. Alston first gained basketball fame as a streetball player before joining the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Milwaukee Bucks. While in the NBA from 1999 to 2010, he played for six teams, including the 2008–09 Orlando Magic team that made the NBA Finals.
Alston grew up in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York City, and was a standout streetball basketball player, known for his untraditional ballhandling moves that made him adept at outmaneuvering defenders. He was the inspiration in many ways for the AND1 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. His trademark skipping dribble when bringing the ball down the court earned him the nickname, Skip to My Lou.
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.
Alston played college basketball for three seasons: one each at Ventura College (1994–95), Fresno City College (1996–97), and then for Jerry Tarkanian at Fresno State (1997–98). Alston was red-shirted at Fresno City College for the 1995–96 season.
Alston struggled early in his NBA career, but successfully transitioned from streetball to the professional game. He played off the bench for most of the time he was with the Bucks. On November 17, 2001, when filling in for Sam Cassell, Alston led the Bucks to a 104–93 win over the Utah Jazz with 14 points and 10 assists.
Alston signed with the Golden State Warriors in 2002, but was waived in October before the season began. On January 17, 2003, he signed with the Toronto Raptors. He played in 47 games, averaged about 21 minutes per game, and averaged 7.8 points per game.
Following his tenure with the Raptors, Alston 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, led by rookie guard Dwyane Wade, that made it to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals of the 2004 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 of Shawn Bradley to catapult Miami to a 119–118 victory.
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.
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Rafer Alston
Rafer Jamel Alston (born July 24, 1976), nicknamed "Skip 2 My Lou" after the American folk song and partner-stealing dance with the same name, is an American retired professional basketball player. Alston first gained basketball fame as a streetball player before joining the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Milwaukee Bucks. While in the NBA from 1999 to 2010, he played for six teams, including the 2008–09 Orlando Magic team that made the NBA Finals.
Alston grew up in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York City, and was a standout streetball basketball player, known for his untraditional ballhandling moves that made him adept at outmaneuvering defenders. He was the inspiration in many ways for the AND1 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. His trademark skipping dribble when bringing the ball down the court earned him the nickname, Skip to My Lou.
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.
Alston played college basketball for three seasons: one each at Ventura College (1994–95), Fresno City College (1996–97), and then for Jerry Tarkanian at Fresno State (1997–98). Alston was red-shirted at Fresno City College for the 1995–96 season.
Alston struggled early in his NBA career, but successfully transitioned from streetball to the professional game. He played off the bench for most of the time he was with the Bucks. On November 17, 2001, when filling in for Sam Cassell, Alston led the Bucks to a 104–93 win over the Utah Jazz with 14 points and 10 assists.
Alston signed with the Golden State Warriors in 2002, but was waived in October before the season began. On January 17, 2003, he signed with the Toronto Raptors. He played in 47 games, averaged about 21 minutes per game, and averaged 7.8 points per game.
Following his tenure with the Raptors, Alston 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, led by rookie guard Dwyane Wade, that made it to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals of the 2004 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 of Shawn Bradley to catapult Miami to a 119–118 victory.
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.
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