Allen Frazier Leavell (born May 27, 1957) 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 (appro ...

player from

Muncie, Indiana Muncie ( ) is a city in Delaware County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It is located in East Central Indiana about northeast of Indianapolis. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 65,195, down from 70,085 in the 2010 c ...

. He had a ten-year career in the

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

(NBA).

Career

Amateur

At Muncie Central High School, Leavell averaged 18 points per game in his final year. A ,

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

, he enrolled in

Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, graduate master's degrees and docto ...

and played for the then-Division 1 Men's Basketball Team, averaging 22 points in 1978–1979.

Playing career

Leavell was selected in the fifth round of the 1979 NBA draft by 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 of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

, 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 In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of S ...

. 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. 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. In his NBA career, he averaged 9.5 points per game and 4.8 assists per game. Leavell participated in two

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

(in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

and

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

), in two losses against 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 Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

. He finishes as the third all-time with the Rocket Franchise in both assists (3,339) and steals (929). In 1989, he joined the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

playing for the Tulsa Fastbreakers but was suspended after assaulting a referee.

Post-NBA

As someone who played exclusively with the Houston Rockets within the NBA, Leavell remained involved in the team, participating in community outreach and serving as commentator with local outlets. He is inducted into the Oklahoma City University Hall of Fame.

References

External links