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Walter Ray Allen Jr. (born July 20, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 2018. Allen is widely considered to be one of the greatest three-point shooters of all time, and he held the record for most three-pointers made in a career from 2011 until 2021, when he was surpassed by Stephen Curry.[1][2]
Allen played college basketball for the Connecticut Huskies for three seasons, gaining a reputation as an efficient long-range shooter. He entered the NBA in 1996 as the fifth overall selection. In the NBA, he developed into a prolific scorer for the Milwaukee Bucks, featuring alongside Glenn Robinson and Sam Cassell as the team achieved playoff success. However, the trio were unable to capture a championship, and Allen was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics. In Seattle, Allen solidified his reputation as a scorer, breaking several league records for three-point and free throw shooting. But a title still eluded Allen, and he was traded to the Boston Celtics in 2007.
In Boston, Allen and new teammates Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce formed a "Big Three" and had immediate success, winning an NBA championship in 2008. He remained with the franchise for five seasons, before departing in free agency to join the Miami Heat for two seasons. In Miami, Allen accepted a reserve role, emphasizing spot-up and clutch shooting, which allowed him to capture another championship in 2013. His clutch three-pointer to tie Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals with 5.2 seconds remaining is regarded as one of the most iconic and memorable plays in NBA history.
Allen's list of individual accolades is extensive. He gained ten NBA All-Star designations, won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the 2000 United States men's basketball team, held the NBA record in career three-point field goals made in the regular season from 2011 to 2021, and has scored the third-most three-pointers in the postseason.[3]
During his NBA career, Allen acted in some films, such as his role as basketball prodigy Jesus Shuttlesworth in Spike Lee's basketball drama He Got Game (1998). Allen's performance as Shuttlesworth was praised by critics, and the name was borrowed as Allen's basketball nickname.[4][5][6]
- ^ "NBA & ABA Career Leaders and Records for 3-Pt Field Goal Pct". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- ^ "NBA & ABA Career Leaders and Records for Free Throw Pct". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- ^ Matagne, Yash (September 19, 2020). "NBA Playoffs: All-time leaders in postseason career 3-pointers". NBA.
- ^ Levy, Emanuel (April 27, 1998). "He Got Game". Variety. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (May 1, 1998). "He Got Game". Rogerebert.com. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ Edelstein, David (May 3, 1998). "He Got Balls". Slate. Archived from the original on January 25, 2009. Retrieved February 26, 2020.