On the 3rd of February 2012, it was announced that Rafer Alston, also known by his legendary court basketball name, Skip To My Lou, would be returning to the professional basketball scene. The NBA Development League’s LA D-Fenders decided to add him to their roster. A former basketball legend on the court who helped And1 launch the “streetball” empire that defined a generation, Rafer’s story begins in Queens, New York with stops in Las Vegas, the NBA, China and any other city, town or lane with a basketball net.
Few basketball players today can rival the incredible rise to stardom that Rafer Alston did. Having first overshadowed his talents in eighth grade before beginning his epic career at Cardozo High School in Queens, New York, Rafer was soon seen on the famous courts of Rucker Park, where he broke his ankle and embarrassed men twice his age and twice his size. He was soon nicknamed “Skip To My Lou” in honor of his patented skip-like dance that he would do as if he were dribbling a ball down the court. Crowds of all ages were wild as they hung from tree limbs, perched on rooftops and battled the huddled crowd just to get a glimpse of the skinny kid with sleepy eyes playing basketball.
Raver tried out the college basketball scene but wasn’t very successful, after spending a year at Venora College, Fresno City College, and then Fresno State. Skip To My Lou wasn’t the same when he faced college competition off the asphalt and soon returned to the East Coast to pursue his dreams to the NBA by other means. Rafer will soon be featured on stage on the international streetball scene, as promoted by his trash-talking in-your-face basketball apparel brand, And1. Raver helped pioneer And1 Mixtapes, a 6-part series that soon led to the And1 Mixtape Tour, an entertaining, action-packed showcase of elite streetball talent, quirky games, and egos.
Quickly becoming an international icon, Rafer was first given the opportunity to perform in the NBA by the Milwaukee Bucks. Never given a real chance by die-hard coach George Karl, Raver began his NBA career jumping from team to team, like many other veterans. Raver had short stints in Toronto and Miami before settling on his first real opportunity to perform with the Houston Rockets. Being an effective goalkeeper who started a handful of matches and played well alongside Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, Raver established himself as a solid captain. He would hop from Houston to Orlando to New Jersey and eventually back to Miami where he was released after missing a practice and a game.
Rafer tried his hand at the international scene in China, but now he’s back in the NBA looking for a chance to come back as a 35-year-old veteran, still finding solace and staying out of trouble on the hardwood basketball floor or the cinders.
