Allan Houston

Houston was selected in the first round (eleventh overall) by the Detroit Pistons in the 1993 NBA draft, and averaged 8.5 points per game in his rookie year. His average increased to 14.5 and 19.7 points per game in the next two years.

In 1996, after his rookie contract expired, Houston signed as a free agent with the New York Knicks, for whom 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, with Starks serving as a mentor for him coming off the bench. Houston kept his scoring average at 17 points per game, and helped lead the team to the 1999 NBA Finals. His most famous play came in the decisive Game 5 of the first round of the 1999 Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Miami Heat. In the fourth quarter, with the Knicks inbounding the ball trailing by one point, Houston caught the inbounds pass, and made a running jumper in the lane with 0.8 second left on the clock to win the game and the series for the Knicks, 78-77, which was then only the second time in NBA playoffs history where a #8 seed had defeated a #1. The Knicks would go on to the NBA Finals. Houston averaged 21.6 points per game in the only Finals appearance of his career, including a memorable 34 point performance in a game 3 victory over San Antonio. The Knicks, decimated by injuries to Patrick Ewing and Larry Johnson, would lose the series 4-1.

In April 2001, Houston and teammate Charlie Ward were quoted in a New York Times Magazine article making comments that were deemed anti-Semitic by the Anti-Defamation League and the Knicks. After Ward had called Jews stubborn and persecutors of Christians, Houston cited a biblical verse in support of Ward's comments.[1]

During his career, Houston was known for his three-point shooting prowess.[2][3][4] Houston also made the All-Star team twice.[5] Despite the on-court accolades, though, Houston's lasting legacy may be something that happened off the court: In 2001, Houston signed a six-year, $100.4 million contract extension with the Knicks.[6] Houston's yearly salary of over $20 million made him virtually untradeable, and his injury problems would burden the Knicks. Houston missed 32 games in 2003-04 due to a knee injury, and despite claims in the summer of 2004 that he would be ready to play the next season (he even refused to have surgery on his knee that summer), he played in only 20 games that season because his injury had not completely healed. Knee injuries would eventually force Houston to announce his retirement on October 17, 2005.[6] Houston attempted to return to the NBA in 2007, but decided to end his comeback attempt on October 20, 2007 because of bad timing in choosing to join the team so late into preparation for the regular season.[7] Houston was signed by the Knicks to play in 2008,[8] but was cut before the end of the preseason without appearing in a game.[9]

In 2005, the NBA agreed on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The CBA included an amnesty clause provision allowing NBA teams to release one player without his contract counting against the NBA's luxury tax threshold. The clause did not negate a player's contract, a team's obligation to pay a player, or a contract's impact on the salary cap; it merely made it possible to remove a released player's salary from luxury tax calculations on a one-time basis.[10] The clause benefited teams that were in danger of facing the luxury tax, which was a penalty paid by teams with payrolls exceeding a certain threshold. Because the Knicks were expected to use the amnesty clause to waive Houston due to his expensive contract and injury woes (as of the 2005 offseason, two years and $40 million remained on his contract), the amnesty clause was dubbed the "Allan Houston Rule."[11][10] After Houston assured his team that he would retire if his knee problems recurred in training camp that fall,[10] the Knicks chose not to use the amnesty clause to release him; instead, they released forward Jerome Williams.[12]

Houston was a member of the USA men's national basketball team that won the gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.[13]