Alton Lavelle Lister (born October 1, 1958) is an American former 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. He is currently serving as an assistant coach for

TNT Tropang Giga The TNT (cellular service), TNT Tropang Giga is a professional basketball team currently owned by Smart Communications, a subsidiary of the PLDT, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), playing in the Philippine Basketball Associat ...

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

. Lister graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School (in the Lakewood section of Dallas) in 1976, where he led the Wildcats to many victories and was an All-American and All-State team member. He was inducted into Woodrow's Hall of Fame in 1990.

College

The 7' 0" Lister played at

San Jacinto Junior College San Jacinto College is a public community college in the Greater Houston with its campuses in Pasadena and Houston, Texas. Established in 1961, San Jacinto College originally consisted of the independent school districts (ISD) of Channelview, ...

, where he was a teammate of future

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball 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 in the United St ...

journeyman

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

Oliver Mack Oliver Mack (born June 6, 1957) is a retired American professional basketball player. Born in New York City, he was a 6'3" (1.90 cm) 185 lb (84 kg) shooting guard. He played college basketball at East Carolina University. Early yea ...

. He led the Dragons in rebounding and received All-American honors. He later transferred to

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

, becoming teammates with future NBA player

Byron Scott Byron Antom Scott (born March 28, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a player, Scott won three NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during their ...

. Lister's senior season averages of 15.4 points and 9.7 rebounds contributed to the Sun Devils having a school record of 16-2 in the Pac-10 and 24-4 overall and being ranked fifth in the nation for the 1980–1981 season. The season, capped with a win over the top-ranked then-undefeated Oregon State, had Lister earn honorable mention All-America honors by the Associated Press and Street & Smith's, All-Pac-10 honors, and his team's Most Improved Player award. A two-year starter in his three years with Arizona State, Lister was inducted into the Arizona State Hall of Fame in 2000 after a career that saw him average 8.2 rebounds and post 148 career blocks. Lister as a member of the 1980 USA Olympic basketball team was the second Sun Devil to be selected for the United States Olympic team. However, he was unable to participate due to the United States Olympic Committee's decision to

boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...

the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games on the orders of President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

. He did however receive one of 461

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...

s created especially for the spurned athletes.

Professional

Lister was selected by 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 1968 ...

in the first round (21st overall) of the

1981 NBA Draft The 1981 NBA draft was the 35th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1981, before the 1981–82 season. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the USA Network. In this draft, 23 NBA te ...

. He would consider

Bob Lanier Robert Jerry Lanier Jr. (September 10, 1948 – May 10, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who was a center for the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Lanier was inducted int ...

his mentor during his time with the Bucks, where he averaged around 8.1 ppg, 7 rpg and 1.8 bpg while only playing 24 minutes a night in his five-year stint with the Bucks. In the 1982–83 season, Lister received 5 points in the NBA MVP voting even though he only averaged 8.4 points and 7.1 rebounds and started in 37 games. Each of the five seasons he played in Milwaukee ended with them winning the Central Division, though they did not reach 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 awa ...

during his tenure. After the 1986 season he was dealt to Seattle for

Jack Sikma Jack Wayne Sikma (born November 14, 1955) is an American former professional basketball center. He was a seven-time NBA All-Star with the Seattle SuperSonics, who drafted him in the first round with the eighth overall pick of the 1977 NBA draft. ...

. His best year as a professional came during the 1986–87 season as a member of the SuperSonics, appearing in 75 games and averaging 11.6 ppg, 9.4 rpg and 2.4 bpg. After just two seasons with the Sonics, he was traded straight up to the Warriors for their first round pick. Lister would go on to play another four years with Golden State, though playing sparingly in due to injuries. He was waived by the Warriors in March 1993 and went on to sign with Milwaukee. After one more season with the Bucks, the then 37-year-old Lister went to 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 ...

, as part of the

Todd Day Todd Fitzgerald Day (born January 7, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player and current head coach at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas. Day is the all-time leading scorer at the University of Arkansas, and pla ...

for

Sherman Douglas Sherman Douglas (born September 15, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player from Syracuse University who played for the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers from 1989 to 200 ...

trade. He spent two seasons in Boston on a $800,000 total salary averaging 1.9 ppg. Lister finished his career with seven games for the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. In his NBA career, Lister played in 953 games (incidentally, the second most games ever for a player with jersey #53, behind

Artis Gilmore Artis Gilmore (born September 21, 1949) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). Gilmore was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basket ...

) and scored a total of 6,298 points. He wore jersey #53 his entire career, and was best known as a solid rebounder and shot blocker.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1981–82 , align="left" ,

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 is ...

, 80 , , 23 , , 14.8 , , .519 , , .000 , , .520 , , 4.8 , , 1.1 , , 0.2 , , 1.5 , , 4.5 , - , align="left" , 1982–83 , align="left" ,

, 80 , , 37 , , 23.6 , , .529 , , .000 , , .537 , , 7.1 , , 1.4 , , 0.6 , , 2.2 , , 8.4 , - , align="left" , 1983–84 , align="left" ,

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 72 , , 23.8 , , .500 , , .000 , , .626 , , 7.4 , , 1.3 , , 0.5 , , 1.7 , , 7.6 , - , align="left" , 1984–85 , align="left" ,

, 81 , , 80 , , 25.8 , , .538 , , .000 , , .588 , , 8.0 , , 1.6 , , 0.6 , , 2.1 , , 9.9 , - , align="left" , 1985–86 , align="left" ,

, 81 , , 19 , , 22.4 , , .551 , , .000 , , .602 , , 7.3 , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , 1.8 , , 9.8 , - , align="left" , 1986–87 , align="left" ,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, 75 , , 75 , , 30.5 , , .504 , , .000 , , .675 , , 9.4 , , 1.5 , , 0.4 , , 2.4 , , 11.6 , - , align="left" , 1987–88 , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 55 , , 22.1 , , .504 , , .500 , , .606 , , 7.6 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 1.7 , , 5.6 , - , align="left" , 1988–89 , align="left" ,

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 82 , , 22.0 , , .499 , , .000 , , .646 , , 6.6 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 2.2 , , 8.0 , - , align="left" , 1989–90 , align="left" , Golden State , 3 , , 0 , , 13.3 , , .500 , , .000 , , .571 , , 2.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 4.0 , - , align="left" , 1990–91 , align="left" , Golden State , 77 , , 65 , , 20.2 , , .478 , , .000 , , .569 , , 6.3 , , 1.2 , , 0.3 , , 1.2 , , 6.4 , - , align="left" , 1991–92 , align="left" , Golden State , 26 , , 12 , , 11.3 , , .557 , , .000 , , .424 , , 3.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 3.9 , - , align="left" , 1992–93 , align="left" , Golden State , 20 , , 9 , , 8.7 , , .452 , , .000 , , .538 , , 2.2 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 2.3 , - , align="left" , 1994–95 , align="left" ,

, 60 , , 32 , , 12.9 , , .493 , , .000 , , .500 , , 3.9 , , 0.2 , , 0.3 , , 1.0 , , 2.8 , - , align="left" , 1995–96 , align="left" ,

, 7 , , 5 , , 12.6 , , .444 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 4.1 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 0.4 , , 1.4 , - , align="left" , 1995–96 , align="left" ,

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 57 , , 14 , , 11.4 , , .490 , , .000 , , .629 , , 4.4 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 0.7 , , 2.3 , - , align="left" , 1996–97 , align="left" ,

, 53 , , 2 , , 9.7 , , .416 , , .000 , , .742 , , 3.2 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 0.3 , , 1.6 , - , align="left" , 1997–98 , align="left" ,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, 7 , , 0 , , 6.3 , , .375 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.6 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 0.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 953 , , 582 , , 19.9 , , .512 , , .111 , , .597 , , 6.3 , , 1.0 , , 0.4 , , 1.5 , , 6.6

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 1981–82 , align="left" ,

, 6 , , - , , 18.7 , , .583 , , .000 , , .714 , , 4.5 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 2.5 , , 5.5 , - , align="left" , 1982–83 , align="left" ,

, 9 , , - , , 22.9 , , .429 , , .000 , , .800 , , 6.8 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , 1.7 , , 6.4 , - , align="left" , 1983–84 , align="left" ,

, 16 , , - , , 23.0 , , .500 , , .000 , , .625 , , 6.0 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 1.5 , , 6.8 , - , align="left" , 1984–85 , align="left" ,

, 8 , , 8 , , 25.4 , , .450 , , .000 , , .469 , , 7.8 , , 1.9 , , 0.8 , , 1.9 , , 8.6 , - , align="left" , 1985–86 , align="left" ,

, 14 , , 1 , , 23.9 , , .641 , , .000 , , .603 , , 6.9 , , 0.9 , , 0.5 , , 1.6 , , 11.9 , - , align="left" , 1986–87 , align="left" ,

, 9 , , 7 , , 22.9 , , .400 , , .000 , , .700 , , 6.2 , , 0.8 , , 0.8 , , 1.4 , , 6.0 , - , align="left" , 1987–88 , align="left" ,

, 5 , , 5 , , 15.4 , , .706 , , .000 , , .800 , , 5.8 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 1.0 , , 5.6 , - , align="left" , 1988–89 , align="left" ,

, 8 , , 8 , , 20.0 , , .436 , , .000 , , .846 , , 4.8 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 2.6 , , 7.0 , - , align="left" , 1990–91 , align="left" , Golden State , 6 , , 5 , , 12.0 , , .480 , , .000 , , .400 , , 4.7 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 1.2 , , 4.3 , - , align="left" , 1991–92 , align="left" , Golden State , 4 , , 3 , , 11.8 , , .400 , , .000 , , .800 , , 2.8 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 4.0 , - , align="left" , 1997–98 , align="left" ,

, 2 , , 0 , , 5.5 , , .333 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 1.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 87 , , 37 , , 20.7 , , .505 , , .000 , , .640 , , 5.8 , , 0.8 , , 0.4 , , 1.6 , , 7.1

Coach

In 2000, Lister became head coach of at Mesa Community College. From a 9-21 season before his arrival, Lister had five consecutive seasons of 20 or more wins. In the seven years Lister served as coach, 30 players went on to play for NCAA Division I schools. While coaching at Mesa, Lister spent six summers at

Pete Newell Peter Francis Newell (August 31, 1915 – November 17, 2008) was an American college men's basketball coach and basketball instructional coach. He coached for 15 years at the University of San Francisco, Michigan State University, and the Univer ...

's Big Man's Camp. The

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...

were impressed with Lister's work at the Newell's camps, thus paving the way for

Billy Knight William R. Knight (born June 9, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player and executive. Playing with the Indiana Pacers in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and later the National Basketball Association (NBA), he w ...

's recruitment of Lister as assistant coach to

Mike Woodson Michael Dean Woodson (born March 24, 1958) is an American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team. With coach Bob Knight's Indiana Hoosiers, Woodson played collegiate ...

in 2007. In November 2008, upon the recommendation of Paul Howard, he was hired as skills coach to the San Miguel Beermen of the

(PBA).

Personal life

Lister lives in the Philippines with his wife Nova and his daughter Avery, working as the skills coach of the

Meralco Bolts The Meralco Bolts is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team began in 2010 after the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) acquired the PBA franchise of the Sta. Lucia Realtors. The team is one of three ...

. He has five children in the US, namely Alton, Jr., Alexa, JRoss, and Amari. Although retired, Lister has coached aspiring basketball players in the San Diego, California area. On July 17, 2015, Lister was the keynote speaker at the California State Games in San Diego, CA, at Qualcomm Stadium. In January 2016, he joined Tropang TNT as an assistant coach. Lister's deceased brother

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

, a 6'9", 225-pound center from

Sam Houston State Sam Houston State University (SHSU or Sam) is a public university in Huntsville, Texas. It was founded in 1879 and is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools west of the Mississippi River and ...

, was drafted by the

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 (NBA), Ea ...

in the third round of the 1973 NBA draft, but he never played in the NBA. He played as an import in the Philippines (in 1981 for the PBA's CDCP Road Builders in 7 games) and in Belgium for 13 years.

References

External links

* *
Stats at Basketballreference.com

Alton Lister Coachfile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lister, Alton 1958 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines American men's basketball players Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Texas Basketball players from Dallas Boston Celtics players Centers (basketball) Congressional Gold Medal recipients Golden State Warriors players Milwaukee Bucks draft picks Milwaukee Bucks players TNT Tropang Giga coaches Portland Trail Blazers players Power forwards (basketball) San Jacinto Central Ravens men's basketball players Seattle SuperSonics players Ateneo Blue Eagles men's basketball coaches