Rafer Alston Bio: Net Worth, Stats, NBA Contract & Family

Rafer Alston, aka Skip to My Lou or Skip 2 My Lou, is a retired professional basketball player. A 39th overall pick of the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1998 NBA Draft, Alston played for six NBA teams during his playing career (1998-2012).

Having played for the Raptors, Heat, and Rockets, he later played with CBA’s Zhejiang Lions (2011) and then with NBA D-League’s Los Angeles D-Fenders (2012) before retirement.

Rafer’s overall basketball career stats are 6,799 points, 1,891 rebounds, and 3,202 assists.

His basketball journey started when he used to play streetball in his neighborhood. Then, he would see himself attending three different colleges: Ventura College, Fresno City College, and Fresno State.

Alston played for the G-league team Idaho Stampede (now Salt Lake City Stars) in the late 90s before hopping into the major league stream.

A stand-out street basketball player, Alston was well-known for his untraditional ballhandling, helter-skelter crossover, and dribbles.

Rafer’s moves were so impressive that he was featured in American footwear, AND1’s Mixtape Tour.

He is also considered the source of inspiration that encouraged AND1 to start the tour featuring well-known streetballers. 

Rafer Alston starred in a 2022 American Netflix original documentary, Untold: The Rise and Fall of AND1, released on August 23, 2022.

Before going into the details about the former streetball player’s life and career, here are some quick facts about him.

Quick Facts

Early Life, Family & Education 

Early Life & Family

Rafer Alston was born in South Jamaica, Queens, New York, United States. His parents’ name is Richard Alston and Geraldine Alston.

His father, a drug addict, was never actively present in Rafer’s life.

Alston’s older brother Ramar, ended up in jail at a young age on weapon charges, while his twin sister, Racine, had teenage pregnancy.

Although his parents divorced, they later reconciled, only to worsen things.

The NBA player’s father had relapsed and constantly needed money to keep up his drug habits. Richard sold young Rafer’s Michael Jordan rookie card and other possessions for drug money.

Frustrated with his life and family, the point guard had stopped attending high school in his sophomore year and would sleep till noon.

He later developed a gambling habit. He used to roll dice and became a pro at a C-lo gambling game.

His mother, Geraldine, was studying to become a nurse then, so she rarely had time to look into her children’s personal lives. 

Education

Before his father moved back in, Rafer mostly stayed with Catholic Youth Organization’s basketball coach Mike Bell. The coach spotted Alston’s potential when he was only nine years old.

Bell used to show Isiah Thomas‘s videos and highlights to the streetballer. Furthermore, Mike was a solid fatherly figure in young Rafer’s life.

Besides that, the basketballer had two more people looking out for him; head coach Ron Naclerio and assistant coach Billy Medley. They were coaches at Alston’s high school named Benjamin Cardozo High School. 

The NBA player couldn’t play many games in high school because he had missed many classes and became ineligible.

However, he pulled through in his senior year but didn’t have an SAT score or a GED to attend college. 

Nevertheless, he went to junior college at Ventura College and became serious about his education and basketball career. The athlete rarely missed a practice or a class. 

In an interview, Rafer said, “I took high school for granted.”

After that, the point guard transferred to Fresno City College, where he stayed for two years before moving to Fresno State. 

Age, Height & Weight

Since the former Raptors’ point guard was born on July 24, 1976, he is 47 years old as of 2024.

Rafer is in great shape as a former athlete because he maintains a good diet and workout routine. The basketball player is 1.88 m tall and weighs 190 lbs.

Basketball Career

Early Career In The NBA

After his collegiate career, Alston entered the 1998 NBA Draft. Milwaukee Bucks selected him in the second round as the 39th pick overall. 

Initially, his transition from streetball to NBA games was difficult, but he slowly started to conquer the game. 

After that, he was traded to the Raptors, who traded him to the Miami Heat after his contract. In 2004, the point guard served as a starter for the Heat and amazed everyone with his skills. 

Rafer played alongside Dwayne Wade while playing with the Miami Heat. The two led the Heat to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals of the 2004 NBA Playoff.

Then in 2004, he returned to the Raptors and signed a multi-year contract worth $30 million for six years. However, he ended up playing only a season with them.

Houston Rockets & Orlando Magic

Following the 2004-05 NBA season, the Raptors sent him to the Rockets for Mike James. 

While playing for the Rockets, Alston made up to two NBA playoffs (2007 and 2008) but lost in the first round.

In the 2007-08 season, he even scored his NBA career-high 31 points with the Rockets in a 104-92 victory against LA Lakers on March 16, 2008.

Under Gundy’s watch, the point guard performed exceptionally well.

Though in 2008, he was suspended for two games for a fight involving Matt Barnes and Steve Nash.

After playing for three seasons, the Rockets traded Alston to the Orlando Magic in a three-team trade involving Memphis Grizzlies.

With Orlando, he made it to the 2009 NBA finals. However, they lost the NBA title to the Lakers. 

New Jersey Nets & Miami Heats

During the 2009 season, the Magic traded Rafer, Tony Battie, and Courtney Lee to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Ryan Anderson and Vince Carter.

However, he didn’t stick there for too long. 

The Nets let the former Rockets player go at the beginning of the 2010 season. Shortly after, he signed a contract to play with the Heat again. 

In the 2010 NBA season, he started 25 games for the team. However, he was immediately suspended by the Heat officials for missing practice and a game. 

A few days later, Heat announced that his suspension would be carried out for the rest of the 2010 season.

Career In The CBA  & NBA D-League

For the 2011 season, he joined the Chinese Basketball Association to play for Zhejiang Guangsha. However, Alston returned to America in February to attend a friend’s funeral. 

At the time, the player was also injured and was refusing to consult a doctor. As a result, his team let him go and notified him not to return. 

After that, he joined the D-League, where he played for the Los Angeles D-Fenders for the 2012 season. It was Rafer’s last season as a professional basketball player. 

Career Stats

Girlfriend, Wife & Kids

The NBA veteran is married to Ashley Walker. The two dated for a while before tying the knot on July 26, 2012, at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Walker is a former teacher who taught at Fort Bend Independent School District. Likewise, she currently serves as a substitute teacher for her district. 

Ashely is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach promoting holistic learning and training. Alongside being a health coach, the teacher is a motivational speaker and a personal trainer. 

The wife of the former NBA player owns a Christian Health Ministry called “Joy. Peace. Be You!” and has founded Ashley Walker’s Mission of Love, a foundation to help needy children. 

Aside from that, Walker starred in Basketball Wives Miami when she was engaged to Alston. She is very active in her neighborhood and loves volunteering for charity work. 

The motivational speaker is active on her Instagram, where she posts messages of hope, positivity, empowerment, and love to her followers. 

Ashley and Rafer together have three kids; two sons, Jordan Alston and Reese Alston, and a daughter Stella Rose Alston. 

The athlete lives in a beautiful house in Queens, New York City, with his kids and wife. Besides that, he also has a house in Missouri, Texas. 

Net Worth, Salary & Career Earnings 

The former Rockets player earned most of his wealth through his NBA career.

Alston’s net worth is estimated to be around $5-$10 million. 

With 14 years of professional playing, the basketball star recorded earnings of $28,129,531.

His salary with the Nets and Heat in 2009 was over $4 million. Besides that, he makes a decent amount serving as an NBA scout for the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

Rafer Alston starred in Untold: The Rise and Fall of AND1, a 2022 American Netflix original documentary film directed by Kevin Wilson Jr, and was released on August 23, 2022.

Social Media 

Rafer does not use much social media; he operates on Instagram only, which has 9.9k followers only.

Rafer runs his basketball camps; the most recent is his 2023 Rafer Alston Elite Guard Camp.

Search Graph

Rafer Alston’s graph shows average mobility from March to Nov. 2023  

The graph illustrates the search rate for the past 12 months.

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