Sports Nicknames - Jesus Shuttlesworth, Mr. Basketball, The Gentleman

One of the most celebrated careers in basketball, Ray Allen was second to none. Following his debut in 1996, Ray Allen ruled the majority of the 2000s on the basis of his astonishing performances and jaw-dropping achievements. While all of it resulted in an illustrious career, Allen was definitely a fan favorite as he received a bunch of nicknames from his fans and fellow players.



College Career and Initial Years:

Allen played for the Connecticut Huskies at the college level and had earned himself a great reputation as a long-range shooter. As an acknowledgment of his credential and contributions, Huskies retired his jersey number 34. He was also judged the UPI College Basketball Player of the Year in 1996.

Milwaukee Bucks drafted him to their squad as the overall 5th pick of the 1996 NBA Draft. This was just the chance that Ray needed, as the great three-point shooter announced himself on the big stage as he made it to the NBA rookie team of the year in 1997.


Nicknames:

It is quite a challenge to find a player with as many and as interesting nicknames as Ray Allen. Here is a list of all the nicknames that have been associated with Allen at some time or the other.

Jesus Shuttlesworth:

The 1998 Sports Drama film had the role of Jesus Shuttlesworth, a fictional phenom from Lincoln High. Ray Allen played the character in the movie. Just like his basketball performances, the fans loved Allen's on-screen performance and started calling him Jesus Shuttlesworth. Since then, the nickname has stayed with the basketball great, who has got a number of other nicknames as well.

Sugar Ray:

Before Allen, there were a couple of Boxers who were famous as "Sugar Ray" for different reasons. When Ray Allen rose to prominence, the similarities in the Names were noticeable. On top of that, Allen's 3-pointers were famous as his sweet shots. With everything pointing in the direction of Sugar Ray, the nickname became famous and has served as Ray Allen's nickname since then.

Ray Ray:

This nickname is a rather simple one. There is no real back story to it, except that Allen's first name Ray also became his nickname. Calling him "Ray Ray" was just a way of addressing Ray Allen.

Mr. Basketball:

By now, you must be wondering how many nicknames Ray Allen actually had. Well, he had many. That's the simplest answer. The nickname Mr. Basketball became famous in 2003 when Allen was declared the Mr. Basketball for the state of South Carolina.

Skinny Walt:

Ray Allen made a number of on-screen appearances. Some of these characters stayed with him as his nicknames. In one of the Pepsi advertisements, Allen played the character of Skinny Walt. Following that, the nickname was added to his unique catalog of nicknames.

The Gentleman:

"The Gentleman" is one of the nicest nicknames that one can ever have. Ray Allen got this nickname because of his well-behaved nature. Allen was a military child who spent most of his childhood in the highly disciplined and civilized environment of Edwards Air Force Base. This turned him into an educated, thoughtful, and composed man who had all the traits of a true gentleman. Thus, the nickname always belonged to him. It was only a matter of time before people noticed his qualities and started calling him "The Gentleman."

A Great Ambassador of the Sport!


Achievements:

In the 18 NBA seasons that followed, Allen won pretty much everything. He won 2 NBA titles in 2008 and 2013. He made it to the NBA All-Star 10 times. Allen won the NBA three-point contest in 2001. He continued the good work to become the leading three-point scorer, a record he held till 2021 (Stephen Curry broke his record recently).

In 2018, Allen was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. On the 75th anniversary of the NBA, Ray Allen was included among the NBA 75 (Top 75 NBA players in NBA history).

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