# Rafer Alston
**Rafer Alston** (born 1976) is an American former professional basketball player and current coach who went from New York City playground stardom as "Skip to My Lou" to an 11-season NBA career as a point guard, capped by a run to the 2009 [NBA Finals](https://www.edgepedia.org/nba-finals) with the [Orlando Magic](https://www.edgepedia.org/orlando-magic).[1](https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/early_entry/by_year/1998) • [2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-07-sp-streetballer7-story.html) He is best known as the streetball player who made the jump from the AND1 Mixtape Tour to the NBA, a path almost no other player has taken.[3](https://and1.com/pages/mixtape-legends)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976; point guard, 6 ft 2 in, 175 lbs[1](https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/early_entry/by_year/1998) |
| Draft | 1998 NBA Draft, second round, 39th overall, Milwaukee Bucks, from Fresno State[1](https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/early_entry/by_year/1998) • [4](https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1998.html?cf=1987) |
| NBA career | 2000 to 2010; 671 games, 10.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game, .354 on three-pointers[5](https://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/draft.cgi?college=fresnost) |
| Streetball name | "Skip to My Lou," the headliner at Rucker Park in Harlem and the inspiration for the first AND1 Mixtape[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-07-sp-streetballer7-story.html) • [3](https://and1.com/pages/mixtape-legends) |
| 2009 playoffs | Started every game of the Eastern Conference Finals (12.5 ppg) and the NBA Finals (10.6 ppg) for Orlando[6](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612753/2022/11/orlando-magic-media-guide-2022-23.pdf) |
| Post-NBA career | High school and AAU coach in Houston; his COOZ Elite 3 team won 16U national championships in 2024 and 2025[7](https://www.chron.com/sports/rockets/article/rafer-alston-houston-high-school-coach-21110652.php/) |
## Streetball origins
Alston grew up playing on New York City's outdoor courts and became the featured attraction at [Rucker Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/rucker-park) in Harlem, where crowds gathered to watch his blurry-fast crossover dribble and an arsenal of moves that required a new vocabulary: the Tornado, the Pepper shake, the Off da' heezie.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-07-sp-streetballer7-story.html) The scene he headlined grew into a counterculture of style over score that spawned DVDs, video games, an ESPN series, and endorsement contracts, and Alston was the inspiration for the first AND1 Mixtape; he remains a longtime AND1 endorsee.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-07-sp-streetballer7-story.html) • [3](https://and1.com/pages/mixtape-legends) Decades later, he said, people in New York still recognize him as Skip rather than by his real name.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-07-sp-streetballer7-story.html)
He did not graduate from Cardozo High School in Queens, New York, but passed an equivalency test to gain college eligibility.[8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-dec-26-sp-2332-story.html)
## College career
Alston left New York for Ventura College, a junior college in [Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/southern-california), under coach Philip Mathews, who recruited troubled players and rebuilt Alston's game around up-tempo point-guard play.[8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-dec-26-sp-2332-story.html) He led Ventura to the 1995 junior college state championship with a 37-1 record and was named most valuable player of the state tournament, but was kicked off the team after striking his teammate and friend, guard Shannon Taylor, with a metal weight following an argument.[8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-dec-26-sp-2332-story.html)
After a year taking classes, he landed at Fresno State under head coach [Jerry Tarkanian](https://www.edgepedia.org/jerry-tarkanian). By late December 1997, as a junior, he was averaging 10 points and 6.4 assists a game, and athletic director Al Bohl said publicly that Alston could not afford any more mistakes after a December 14 car accident in which he fell asleep at the wheel; he passed a breath test for alcohol and did not miss a game.[8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-dec-26-sp-2332-story.html) He entered the 1998 NBA Draft as an early entrant and was selected 39th overall by the [Milwaukee Bucks](https://www.edgepedia.org/milwaukee-bucks).[1](https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/early_entry/by_year/1998) • [4](https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1998.html?cf=1987) Fresno State counts him among the 21 [NBA draft](https://www.edgepedia.org/nba-draft) picks its program has produced since 1958.[9](https://gobulldogs.com/sports/2016/6/8/blog-basketball-m.aspx)
## NBA career
Alston's NBA career ran from 2000 to 2010, and he played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets, and Orlando Magic.[5](https://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/draft.cgi?college=fresnost) • [10](https://qns.com/2001/08/boscos-corner-rafer-alstons-a-tough-to-pin-down/) His big break came in 2003, when he earned a starting spot in Miami; stints in Toronto and Houston followed.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-07-sp-streetballer7-story.html) Across 671 regular-season games he averaged 10.1 points and 4.8 assists, shooting .383 from the field and .354 on three-pointers.[5](https://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/draft.cgi?college=fresnost)
**The 2009 run with Orlando.** In February 2009 Houston traded Alston to the Magic, who needed a point guard after [Jameer Nelson](https://www.edgepedia.org/jameer-nelson) suffered a shoulder injury.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-07-sp-streetballer7-story.html) Over the season's final stretch, Alston put up averages of 12 points and 5.1 assists per game, with a 26-point outburst versus the [Cleveland Cavaliers](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland-cavaliers) in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-07-sp-streetballer7-story.html) The Magic's playoff records credit him with six starts and 12.5 points per game in the Eastern Conference Finals against [Cleveland](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland) and five starts and 10.6 points per game in the NBA Finals, which Orlando lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.[6](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612753/2022/11/orlando-magic-media-guide-2022-23.pdf) • [11](https://www.landofbasketball.com/nba_players_playoff_series/by_year_full/rafer_alston.htm) Dwight Howard said of his Game 4 performance in the conference finals, "He wasn't Rafer Alston, he was the playground legend 'Skip to My Lou.' When he plays like the playground legend, he's tough to guard."[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-07-sp-streetballer7-story.html) Alston did not play in the 2010 Playoffs, his last NBA season.[11](https://www.landofbasketball.com/nba_players_playoff_series/by_year_full/rafer_alston.htm)
## Coaching career
After retiring, Alston moved into coaching in Houston, where he has been rebuilding the Lutheran South Academy high school team and credits his relationship with former NBA coach [Stan Van Gundy](https://www.edgepedia.org/stan-van-gundy), his coach in Orlando, with helping him grow in the profession.[7](https://www.chron.com/sports/rockets/article/rafer-alston-houston-high-school-coach-21110652.php/) His COOZ Elite 3 AAU team won the national championship in the 16U division in both 2024 and 2025.[7](https://www.chron.com/sports/rockets/article/rafer-alston-houston-high-school-coach-21110652.php/) His son Reese Alston is a five-star point guard recruit.[12](https://www.on3.com/sites/cardinal-sports/news/pat-kelsey-sends-strong-message-to-five-star-pg-reese-alston-in-richmond/)
## Legacy
Alston's career is the standard example of a playground legend converting streetball fame into a durable professional career. The AND1 company describes him as the inspiration for its first Mixtape and a player who "took his legendary streetball exploits all the way to the NBA."[3](https://and1.com/pages/mixtape-legends) In the NBA he adapted his game rather than abandoning it: scouts and teammates singled out his one-handed touch passes with either hand and his ball-handling, and by 2009 the Los Angeles Times called him a polished veteran point guard considered a steal at a reported salary of $5.2 million for the next season.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-07-sp-streetballer7-story.html)
## References
1. [NBA Draft Early Entrant & Withdrawal List, 1998, RealGM](https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/early_entry/by_year/1998)
2. [David Wharton, "From 'Skip' to Rafer -- his ultimate crossover," Los Angeles Times, June 7, 2009](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-07-sp-streetballer7-story.html)
3. [Mixtape Legends, AND1](https://and1.com/pages/mixtape-legends)
4. [1998 NBA Draft, Basketball-Reference.com](https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1998.html?cf=1987)
5. [Draft Picks From Fresno State, Basketball-Reference.com](https://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/draft.cgi?college=fresnost)
6. [Orlando Magic Media Guide 2022-23, 2009 Playoffs](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612753/2022/11/orlando-magic-media-guide-2022-23.pdf)
7. ["Rafer Alston's next trick? Rebuilding this Houston high school team," Houston Chronicle](https://www.chron.com/sports/rockets/article/rafer-alston-houston-high-school-coach-21110652.php/)
8. [Steve Henson, "Is Alston Getting the Point?" Los Angeles Times, December 26, 1997](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-dec-26-sp-2332-story.html)
9. [Fresno State Bulldogs basketball blog, Fresno State Athletics](https://gobulldogs.com/sports/2016/6/8/blog-basketball-m.aspx)
10. ["Bosco's Corner: Rafer Alston's a tough to pin down," QNS, August 2001](https://qns.com/2001/08/boscos-corner-rafer-alstons-a-tough-to-pin-down/)
11. [Rafer Alston Playoff Series, Land of Basketball](https://www.landofbasketball.com/nba_players_playoff_series/by_year_full/rafer_alston.htm)
12. [Pat Kelsey sends strong message to five-star PG Reese Alston, On3](https://www.on3.com/sites/cardinal-sports/news/pat-kelsey-sends-strong-message-to-five-star-pg-reese-alston-in-richmond/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › NBA players, 1996–2010 › NBA guards, 1996–2010*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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