Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born |
Louisville, Kentucky |
April 20, 1971 ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
High school | Ballard (Louisville, Kentucky) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
College | Tennessee (1989–1993) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
NBA draft | 1993 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11th overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Selected by the Detroit Pistons | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing career | 1993–2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Shooting guard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1993–1996 | Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1996–2005 | New York Knicks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Points | 14,551 (17.3 ppg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rebounds | 2,434 (2.9 rpg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Assists | 1,990 (2.4 apg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Allan Wade Houston (born April 20, 1971) is an American retired professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1993 to 2005. He is currently the assistant general manager for the New York Knicks and the general manager for Knicks' NBA D-League team, the Westchester Knicks.
Houston was born in Louisville, Kentucky and played at Ballard High School in Louisville as they won the 1988 Kentucky state championship. He went on to play at the University of Tennessee (where he played under his coach and father Wade) and graduated in 1993 as the school's all-time leading scorer, and is currently second to Chris Lofton at Tennessee for three-point field goals made. Houston is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. On March 6, 2011 the University of Tennessee retired Houston's number (20) during halftime ceremonies at a Tennessee-Kentucky game.
Houston was selected in the first round (eleventh overall) by the Detroit Pistons in the 1993 NBA draft, and averaged 8.5 points per game in his rookie year. His average increased to 14.5 and 19.7 points per game in the next two years.
In 1996, after his rookie contract expired, Houston signed as a free agent with the New York Knicks, for whom he played for the next nine seasons. In his first year as a Knick, Houston took the place of John Starks in the starting lineup, with Starks serving as a mentor for him coming off the bench. Houston kept his scoring average at 17 points per game, and helped lead the team to the 1999 NBA Finals. His most famous play came in the decisive Game 5 of the first round of the 1999 Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Miami Heat. In the fourth quarter, with the Knicks inbounding the ball trailing by one point, Houston caught the inbounds pass, and made a running jumper in the lane with 0.8 second left on the clock to win the game and the series for the Knicks, 78-77, which was then only the second time in NBA playoffs history where a #8 seed had defeated a #1. The Knicks would go on to the NBA Finals. He was a member of the USA men's national basketball team that won the basketball tournament and gold medal along with 11 other NBA players at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Houston also made the All-Star team in 2000 and 2001.