Allan Houston
Allan Wade Houston born April 20, 1971, in Louisville, Kentucky, USA is a former professional basketball player who spent the majority of his career playing shooting guard for the National Basketball Association's New York Knicks. His nickname is "H2O", derived from the first letter of his name and his regular number "20", and acknowledges his graceful jumpshot, which is "smooth as water".
Houston played at Ballard High School in Louisville, helping them to win the 1988 Kentucky state championship. He went on to play at the University of Tennessee and graduated in 1993 as the school's all-time leading scorer.
Houston was selected 11th overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 1993 NBA Draft, and averaged 8.5 points per game in his rookie year. His average was boosted to 14.5 and 19.7 points per game in the next two years.
On July 14, 1996 Houston signed as a free agent with the Knicks, where 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, however Starks was a valuable mentor for him coming off of the bench. Houston kept his scoring average at a consistent 17-point-or-so per-game clip, and led his team to the 1999 NBA Finals. He made the All-Star team in 2000 and 2001.
A knee injury would eventually force Houston to announce his retirement, on October 17, 2005.
Houston is remembered as one of the most prolific scorers in Knicks history, and his last-second bank-shot in the deciding game of the 1999 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Miami Heat remains a dramatic moment in Knicks history (especially given that the Knicks went on to make the NBA Finals). Houston also ranks 10th on the NBA's all-time list for career 3-point field goals made.