biography of ray allen
Ray Allen always had the game. What he needed was the right address. After a dozen seasons in Milwaukee and Seattle, he finally found a place where he could become a bona fide basketball legend. As part of the “Big Three” for the Boston Celtics, Ray helped restore glory to the green and white. His long-distance shooting keyed a championship in 2008 and provided a record-setting memory on the team’s quest for another NBA title in 2010. Ray always had the stats to earn Hall of Fame consideration. Now he has the ring, too. This is his story…GROWING UP
Walter Ray Allen was born on July 20, 1975. (Click here for a complete listing of today's sports birthdays.) His parents, Flora and Walter, lived a military life. At the time, the couple was stationed at Castle Air Force Base in Merced, California. Ray was the third of their five kids. Walt was a welding specialist. "Flo" was a wide-eyed girl from Arkansas who had picked cotton as a child. For her, moving from base to base every three years and seeing the world was still an adventure at this stage of the game.
Always smiling, Ray was a happy kid who seemed unaffected by Walter's hopscotching career. Early in Ray's life, his father was sent to Bentwaters Air Force Base in England, and the family naturally followed. There they lived in an American community in Saxmundum, a town about 25 miles from the base. This is where Ray got his first exposure to organized sports, in Pee Wee football. If you think youth football parents are over-the-top, try taking in a game at a military base. Ray was no bigger than the other boys, but he was clearly an exceptional athlete.
He was also a great soccer and baseball player. On the diamond, Ray could hit the ball a mile. After his eighth birthday, he was old enough for a league in which coaches pitched. Ray was the only kid who could clear the line drawn in the outfield demarcating a home run. Before long, Little League parents were pushing for him to jump to the next level.
Ray's first growth spurt started when he was around 10. He gravitated to basketball and joined an organized league while the Allens were stationed at Edwards Air Force Base in California. In no time, he was flashing an advanced offensive arsenal and anticipating enemy passes with uncanny accuracy.
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ray allen imageRay got super serious about polishing his game that summer. Meanwhile, he and Rosalind celebrated the birth of a little girl, Tierra. The plan was for mother and child to live with her parents, with Flo helping out until Ray graduated from college. Then his family would be his responsibility.
In the meantime, the Allen home was recruiting central. Coaches loved Ray's diverse talents and leadership skills, and they weren't scared off by the fact that he was a father. The competition to sign Ray intensified after he attended the Nike All-American camp in Indianapolis. Against the nation’s best high school juniors, he was able to do pretty much whatever he pleased.
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ray allenOn a high from his state title, Ray chose to attend the University of Connecticut. He had been wooed by several bigger programs and at first leaned toward Rick Pitino and Kentucky. But Howie Dickenman, an assistant from Jim Calhoun's UConn staff, worked hard to make a good impression on the Allens. He seemed to care about Ray and what was best for the family. When Calhoun showed the same concern—and promised Ray that the Huskies would be "his" team after a year or two—he decided to head north to continue his career.
