Rafer Alston Biography

A big hit in the street-ball circuit, Rafer Alston has taken the NBA by storm, helping to lead the Houston Rockets charge.

Rafer Alston: Skip to My Lou
Hailing from Queens, New York, Rafer Alston – dubbed “Skip to My Lou” – grew up ruling the street-basketball world. Rafer Alston earned his nickname “Skip to My Lou” because he tended to skip while dribbling the ball up the court. Rafer Alston competed in a string of prominent street-ball tourneys, such as Entertainer’s Basketball Classic, the North American street basketball tour, and the ESPN TV show Street Ball, but it wasn’t until Rafer Alston starred in the And1 Mixtape Volume 1 that he would truly shine in the public spotlight as a street-ball legend. Rafer Alston played for the Benjamin N. Cardozo High School basketball team before attending California State University at Fresno. After his junior year of college, Rafer Alston entered the 1998 NBA Draft.

Rafer Alston: From Street to Pro
The Milwaukee Bucks picked up Rafer Alston in the second round. Rafer Alston did not see much playing time while he was with the Milwaukee Bucks, but he would later emerge as a starting point guard for a young Miami Heat team in the 2003-04 NBA season. Behind Rafer Alston’s solid averages of 12 PPG and 4 APG, the Miami Heat would blaze into the NBA playoffs. In the summer of 2004, Rafer Alston signed with the Toronto Raptors, where Rafer Alston played 80 games, averaged 14.2 PPG and 6.4 APG.

Rafer Alston: Houston Rockets
While Rafer Alston and the Toronto Raptors were not a perfect fit, the street-ball extraordinaire was traded in October 2005, finding a home with the Houston Rockets, much to the delight of fans with Houston Rockets tickets. After point guard Bob Sura on the sidelines with injury, the Houston Rockets needed a point guard to run alongside Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. With T-Mac and Yao suffering with injuries of their own, Rafer Alston still found ways to produce throughout the 2006-07 NBA season. Houston Rockets tickets featured Rafer Alston averaging 13.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 5.4 APG, and 1.6 SPG as the Houston Rockets starting PG.

Rafer Alston: 2007-08 NBA Season
As the 2007-08 NBA season tipped off, Rafer Alston once again was named the starting point guard, despite an influx of guards (rookie Aaron Brooks, Steve Francis, and Mike James) added to the Houston Rockets roster during the offseason. Fans with Houston Rockets tickets watched Rafer Alston, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, and the Houston Rockets basketball team adapt to a new offensive system under Coach Rick Adelman.

Houston Rockets tickets featured a slow start to the season for the Houston Rockets and a season-ending injury to Yao Ming. Rafer Alston came into his own with the Houston Rockets, acting as a playmaker, a scorer, a penetrator, a passer, or a three-point shooter. Rafer Alston posted 13.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 5.3 APG during the regular season and helped the Houston Rockets storm to a 55-27 record and a playoff berth in the Western Conference.

When the Houston Rockets faced the Utah Jazz in the first round, Rafer Alston suffered an injury that held him out late in the series. Without Rafer Alston running the offense, the Houston Rockets had a bit of trouble, especially against Deron Williams, who was too quick and strong for the Rafer Alston-less Houston Rockets.

Rafer Alston: Future with Rockets
Rafer Alston will enter his fourth year donning the Houston Rockets logo. Fans with Houston Rockets tickets can watch the street-ball king running the offense throughout the Houston Rockets schedule this season. After the Houston Rockets made headline news with the offseason acquisition of Ron Artest, fans with Houston Rockets tickets are salivating at the prospect of an NBA championship-winning season.

Houston Rockets tickets will feature Rafer Alston, Ron Artest, Tracy McGrady, Shane Battier, and a cast of formidable shooters surrounding Yao Ming, spreading the floor and forcing defenses to stay honest rather than double team in the middle. In particular, if Rafer Alston can continue to be a steady, if not spectacular, point guard for the Houston Rockets basketball team once again, then the Houston Rockets have a good shot at bringing home a third title in Houston Rockets history.