It has been a long time coming for NBA legend Ray Allen but he is officially a UCONN graduate.
Allen received his bachelor’s degree in general studies 30 years after he dropped out to go to the NBA. He was a student there from 1993-1996 until he was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1996 before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks.
According to reports, Ray Allen is the only UCONN men’s basketball player to have his jersey retired. Allen began taking classes again at the university in 2008 and then fully focused on it during the pandemic.
“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,’” he said. Allen continued, “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.”
He added, “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.”
Congratulations to Ray Allen.