On February 3, 2012, it was announced that Rafer Alston, also known by his legendary childhood basketball nickname Skip To My Lou, would be returning to the professional basketball scene. The NBA Development League LA D-Fenders team decided to add him to his roster. The story of Rafer, a former recreational basketball legend who helped And1 launch a “streetball” empire that defined a generation, begins in Queens, New York, with stops in Las Vegas, the NBA, China and beyond. , town or driveway with a basketball net.
Few basketball players today can compete with Rafer Alston’s incredible rise to stardom. Having first covered his talents in the eighth grade before beginning his epic career at Cardozo High School in Queens, New York, Rafer was soon seen on the famous Rucker Park courts, breaking ankles and embarrassing boys twice his age. and size. He soon received the nickname “Skip To My Lou” in honor of his patented jump dance that he did while dribbling the ball down the court. Crowds of all ages went wild as they dangled from tree branches, climbed onto rooftops, and elbowed their way through the crowd just to see the skinny, sleepy-eyed kid playing basketball.
Rafer tried out the college basketball scene but was not very successful, after a year-long stint at Venura College, Fresno City College, and then Fresno State. Skip To My Lou was not the same when he faced off-road college competition and soon returned to the East Coast to pursue his NBA dreams through other means. Rafer would soon be offered a stage on the international streetball scene, as promoted by the trash-talking, blunt basketball clothing brand And1. Rafer helped pioneer And1 Mixtapes, a 6-part series that soon led to the And1 Mixtape Tour, an entertaining, action-packed showcase of streetball’s elite talent, antics and swagger.
Quickly becoming an international icon, Rafer was the first to be given an opportunity to perform in the NBA by the Milwaukee Bucks. Opinionated coach George Karl never gave him a real chance, Rafer would start his NBA career jumping from one team to another, like many other veterans. Rafer had brief stints in Toronto and Miami before settling on his first real break with the Houston Rockets. An effective point guard who started a handful of games and played well alongside Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, Rafer would prove himself as a solid leader. He bounced from Houston to Orlando to New Jersey and finally back to Miami, where he was released after missing practice and a game.
Rafer tried his luck on the international stage in China, but now he returns to the NBA looking for an opportunity to return as a 35-year veteran, who still finds comfort and stays out of trouble on the hardwood or asphalt floor of the NBA. basketball.