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Ray Allen

Born:     July 20, 1975
Birthplace:    Merced, CA
Zodiac Sign:  Cancer

Walter Ray Allen Jr. 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 began his basketball career as a collegiate athlete for the Connecticut Huskies, where he played for three seasons, gaining a reputation as an efficient and deadly 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's reputation as a scorer was solidified; he would break several league records for three-point and free throw shooting. Despite this, 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 memorable plays in NBA history.

Allen's list of individual accolades are extensive; he gained ten NBA All-Star designations, he won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the 2000 United States men's basketball team, and he also holds NBA records in career three-point field goals made in both the regular and postseason. He is also considered one of the best shooters of all-time. In September 2018, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

During his NBA career, Allen acted during some offseasons. He is best known for his role as basketball prodigy Jesus Shuttlesworth in He Got Game (1998). Allen's performance as Shuttlesworth was greatly praised by critics, and the name was borrowed as Allen's basketball nickname.

Allen married singer/actress Shannon Walker Williams on August 16, 2008, after having dated since 2004. They have four children together.

Allen says that he has a borderline case of obsessive–compulsive disorder, to which he attributes his consummate shooting style.

Allen served as NBA Spokesperson for the Jr. NBA / Jr. WNBA program and was selected as NBA Spokesman for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. He also started the "Ray of Hope" Foundation to assist charities in several communities.

On November 21, 2017, Allen said in a court filing that he was the victim of "catfishing" by a man who posed online as several different women. In an emergency motion, Allen was responding to a claim made by the man, Bryant Coleman, that he was being stalked by Allen.

Allen's autobiography, From the Outside, was released on March 27, 2018. Source.

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