Former Milwaukee Bucks sharpshooter Ray Allen played 18 seasons in the NBA. In that time span, the crafty guard established himself as one of the best shooters the league has ever known. He's a 10-time All-Star, two-time champion, and former Three-Point Shootout champion (2001).
Allen, now 43 years of age, is known as a legend these days. However, there was a time when he wasn't feeling the love, so to speak.
The story begins on Draft night in 1996. The Bucks were going through a coaching change, and fans of the team had their eyes intently fixed on a talented guard by the name of Stephon Marbury (you may have heard of him).
The Bucks selected Marbury with the No. 4 overall pick that year, which led to an outpouring of excitement from fans in Milwaukee. However, just moments later, then-General Manager Mike Dunleavy announced a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the draft rights to Allen, who was taken 5th overall in that class.
Via Gery Woelfel of Woelfel's Press Box:
The several thousand fans who attended a draft night party at the Bradley Center in downtown Milwaukee were delirious when their team chose Marbury. A short time later, though, they became incensed when then Bucks general manager Mike Dunleavy and newly-hired coach Chris Ford informed them of the trade.
“Everybody in the Bradley Center was booing,” Ray Allen recalled. “That was hard for me. I felt so unwelcomed.”
Though the fans in Milwaukee initially felt a certain way about trading for Allen, they quickly realized his true potential. The Bucks were quick to recognize Allen's talent as well. On February 10, 1999, Allen signed a six-year, $70.9 million extension, which made him the highest paid player in franchise history at that point.
Allen played in a whopping 1,300 games over the course of his career, racking up averages of 18.9 points on 45.2 percent shooting from the field (40.0 percent from beyond the arc), 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals in 35.6 minutes per outing.
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