
Former NBA Champion Ray Allen Receives Bachelor’s Degree From UConn
NBA champion and Hall of Famer Ray Allen is the latest professional basketball player to earn a college degree after leaving school early to pursue a career in the sports world.
According to CBS Sports, former Boston Celtics player, Ray Allen obtained his bachelor’s degree in general studies from the University of Connecticut (UConn) over the weekend. He follows in the footsteps of fellow NBA champions, Steph Curry and Gary Payton II, who recently went back to their respective universities to gain their college degrees.
Allen left UConn as a junior in 1996 after playing three years at the famed university. He was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves as the No. 5 overall pick of the 1996 NBA draft. Although they selected him, he was immediately traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He played in the NBA for 18 seasons with four teams (the Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, Boston Celtics, and Miami Heat).
He is the only UConn men’s basketball player whose jersey has been retired by the university.
Ray Allen, UConn Class of 2023 graduate: pic.twitter.com/8funk8cKPh
— Joe Arruda (@joearruda9) May 7, 2023
“When I was in school there was a couple of RAs that were in their 30s and I thought, Wow, they’re still in school. It’s never too late to learn,” Allen told The Hartford Courant. “This day isn’t about me, it’s about the people that helped me along the way to finish this mission, be on this journey to graduate from college. And you got to do it by yourself but it’s made up of a lot of people around you, so I didn’t want it to be about me walking in and everybody, you know. These kids are on their individual journeys, so I was so inspired to be sitting next to them and talking to them.”
Allen became a highly-sought after player while averaging 19 points per game when he played three seasons at UConn. He won USA Basketball’s Male Athlete of the Year in 1995. He became legendary by becoming the NBA record holder for 3-pointers after he recorded 2,973 in his career. That record was smashed by Curry on December 14, 2021.
Before retiring, he won NBA championships with the Boston Celtics (2008) and then the Miami Heat (2013). Allen was also a 10-time NBA All-Star.