Rafer Jamel Alston (born July 24, 1976), also known as Skip to my Lou or Skip 2 My Lou, is an American retired professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. Alston first gained basketball fame playing in the

AND1 Mixtape Tour The AND1 Live Tour, formerly known as the AND1 Mixtape Tour, is a traveling basketball competition and exhibition presented by B-Ball and Company and the basketball apparel manufacturer AND1. A group of streetball players, along with Emcee Rell an ...

in 1999 before making the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA). 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.

Streetball legend

Alston grew up in the

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

neighborhood of

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, New York City, and was a standout

streetball Streetball (or street basketball) is a variation of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules. As such, its format is more conducive to allowing players ...

basketball player, known for his untraditional ballhandling moves that made him adept at outmaneuvering defenders. He was the inspiration in many ways for the

—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.

College career

Alston played college basketball for three seasons: one each at

Ventura College Ventura College is a public community college in Ventura, California. Established in 1925, the college has a campus with an enrollment of 13,763 students. It is part of the Ventura County Community College District. History Ventura College ...

(1994–95),

Fresno City College Fresno City College (FCC or "Fresno City") is a public community college in Fresno, California. It is part of the State Center Community College District within the California Community Colleges system. Fresno City College operates on a semester ...

(1996–97), and then for

Jerry Tarkanian Jerry Tarkanian (August 8, 1930 – February 11, 2015) was an American basketball coach. He coached college basketball for 31 seasons over five decades at three schools. He spent the majority of his career coaching with the UNLV Runnin' Rebe ...

Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

(1997–98). Alston was red-shirted at Fresno City College for the 1995–96 season.

Professional career

Milwaukee Bucks (1999–2002)

Alston struggled early in his NBA career, but successfully transitioned from

to the professional game. He played off the bench for most of the time he was with the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...

Toronto Raptors (2003)

Alston was traded to the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

in 2003. He played in 47 games, averaged about 21 minutes per game, and averaged 7.8 points per game.

Miami Heat (2003–2004)

Following his tenure with the Raptors, Alston emerged as a starter for the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

in 2004. He did not disappoint, averaging 12 points and 4 assists on a young Miami team, led by rookie guard

Dwyane Wade Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. (; born January 17, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Wade spent the majority of his 16-year career playing for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and won three NBA cham ...

, that made it to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals of the 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 Shawn Paul Bradley (born March 22, 1972) is a German-American former professional basketball player who played center for the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, and Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the ...

to catapult Miami to a 119–118 victory.

Return to Toronto (2004–2005)

Alston would sign a multi-year 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.

Houston Rockets (2005–2008)

Alston was traded to the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

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 Jeffrey William Van Gundy (born January 19, 1962) is an American commentator for ESPN and former basketball coach. He served as head coach of the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his ten ...

conferred with his brother,

coach

Stan Van Gundy Stanley Alan Van Gundy (born August 26, 1959) is an American former basketball coach who is a National Basketball Association (NBA) game analyst for TNT. Prior to TNT, Van Gundy was most recently the head coach for the New Orleans Pelicans of the ...

, who coached Alston during the 2003–04 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 Latrell Fontaine Sprewell (born September 8, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Golden State Warriors, the New York Knicks, and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Du ...

) led to optimism on the part of the Rockets' staff. In the 2006–07 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 ninth in steals among all NBA players, fourth in three-pointers made, and 23rd in assists. On November 12, 2008, Alston was suspended for two games without pay for his role in a fight after a non-call foul with

Matt Barnes Matt Barnes (born March 9, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Barnes was drafted in the second round of the 2002 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. He ...

and

Steve Nash Stephen John Nash (born 7 February 1974) is a Canadian professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 18 seasons in the NBA, ...

Orlando Magic (2009)

Alston was traded to the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

in a three-way deal on February 19, 2009, and replaced the injured

Jameer Nelson Jameer Lamar Nelson Sr. (born February 9, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as assistant general manager for the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Saint Joseph's H ...

in the team's starting lineup. On April 30, 2009, Alston helped the Orlando Magic defeat the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

4–2 in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Orlando then defeated the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

and

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central ...

to advance to the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is a ...

, where they lost to the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

in five games, after Alston was replaced in the starting lineup by returning star Jameer Nelson. The move was a somewhat controversial decision by Stan Van Gundy, because Alston had led the team to the playoffs. Alston averaged 10.6 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.2 rebounds in the Finals. In the 2009 playoffs, Alston started every game he played in.

New Jersey Nets (2009–2010)

On June 25, 2009, he was traded to the

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

along with Tony Battie and

Courtney Lee Courtney Lee (born October 3, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Western Kentucky University. Lee was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 22nd overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft and wa ...

in exchange for

Vince Carter Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. (born January 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as a basketball analyst for ESPN. He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, but occasionally played p ...

and Ryan Anderson. He had his first triple-double as a member of the New Jersey Nets in 2009–2010. On January 5, 2010, he was released by the Nets in hopes of letting him play for a contender.

Return to Miami (2010)

On January 7, 2010, he cleared waivers and signed with the

for the second time. After starting 25 games for Heat, Miami replaced Alston with Carlos Arroyo as starting Point Guard. In a press release, Miami stated that Alston "made contact with the team via text message...has made himself otherwise unavailable to the team" and he was immediately suspended on March 6, 2010 for missing practice and a game. On March 13, 2010, Miami upgraded his suspension for the remainder of the season. Thus, Alston's final NBA game was played on March 2, 2010, in a 110 - 106 win over the Golden State Warriors. In Alston's final game, although he was the Heat's starting point guard, he only played for 7 minutes and the only stat he recorded was 1 rebound.

Zhejiang Lions (2011)

On January 26, 2011, Alston signed with the

Zhejiang Lions The Zhejiang Guangsha Lions () are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, which plays in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association. Guangsha is the name of the club's corporate sponsor, but to prevent ...

in the CBA for the remainder of the season. In late February, it was reported that he had left the team to attend a friend's funeral, and the team, believing he was unlikely to return because he had been injured and refused to see a doctor, told him to not return. Alston played 8 games for the Lions and averaged 19.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists.

Los Angeles D-Fenders (2012)

In 2012, Alston signed with the

Los Angeles D-Fenders LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significan ...

of the

NBA D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...

. This would be his last run as a professional basketball player.

Legal troubles

During 1998, he was convicted of assaulting two neighbors in Fresno. On Sunday morning, August 5, 2007, Alston was arrested in downtown Houston on misdemeanor charges of assault and public intoxication. The charges brought against Alston for the incident were dropped on February 29, 2008. He was also arrested on August 7, 2008, and charged with DWI. He was arrested yet again early Tuesday morning, August 28, 2007, in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

for allegedly slashing a man on the neck during a nightclub altercation. Neither the club owner, police, nor security tapes have provided any evidence of the incident occurring.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

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, 50 , , 7 , , 12.0 , , .346 , , .380 , , .621 , , 1.4 , , 2.9 , , .6 , , .0 , , 3.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

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, 47 , , 4 , , 20.9 , , .415 , , .392 , , .685 , , 2.3 , , 4.1 , , .8 , , .3 , , 7.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, 82 , , 28 , , 31.5 , , .376 , , .371 , , .769 , , 2.8 , , 4.5 , , 1.4 , , .2 , , 10.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 80 , , 78 , , 34.0 , , .414 , , .357 , , .740 , , 3.5 , , 6.4 , , 1.5 , , .1 , , 14.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

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, style="background:#CFECEC;", 82 , , 82 , , 37.1 , , .375 , , .363 , , .734 , , 3.4 , , 5.4 , , 1.6 , , .1 , , 13.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 74 , , 74 , , 34.1 , , .394 , , .351 , , .715 , , 3.5 , , 5.3 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 13.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

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, 25 , , 25 , , 26.2 , , .355 , , .370 , , .556 , , 2.2 , , 2.9 , , .9 , , .2 , , 6.6 , -class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 671 , , 452 , , 28.9 , , .383 , , .354 , , .729 , , 2.8 , , 4.8 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 10.1

Playoffs

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References

External links

Streetball Player Page

ClutchFans.net Rafer Alston Profile
– Houston Rocket Fan Site {{DEFAULTSORT:Alston, Rafer 1976 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Canada American expatriate basketball people in China Basketball players from New York City AND1 Fresno City Rams men's basketball players Fresno State Bulldogs men's basketball players Houston Rockets players Idaho Stampede (CBA) players Los Angeles D-Fenders players Miami Heat players Milwaukee Bucks draft picks Milwaukee Bucks players Mobile Revelers players New Jersey Nets players Point guards Sportspeople from Queens, New York Street basketball players Toronto Raptors players Ventura Pirates men's basketball players Zhejiang Lions players American men's basketball players Benjamin N. Cardozo High School alumni

Streetball legend

College career

Professional career

Milwaukee Bucks (1999–2002)

Toronto Raptors (2003)

Miami Heat (2003–2004)

Return to Toronto (2004–2005)

Houston Rockets (2005–2008)

Orlando Magic (2009)

New Jersey Nets (2009–2010)

Return to Miami (2010)

Zhejiang Lions (2011)

Los Angeles D-Fenders (2012)

Legal troubles

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links