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Allison Feaster
Allison Feaster at the Celtics’ Auerbach Center; Photograph by Stu Rosner.jpg
Feaster in 2022
Boston Celtics
Vice President of Team Operations & Organizational Growth
Personal information
Born (1976-02-11) February 11, 1976 (age 49)
Chester, South Carolina, U.S.
High school Chester (Chester, South Carolina)
Listed height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Listed weight 168 lb (76 kg)
Career information
College Harvard (1994–1998)
NBA Draft 1998 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall
Selected by the Los Angeles Sparks
Pro career 1998–2008
League NBA
Career history
1998–2000 Los Angeles Sparks
2001–2006 Charlotte Sting
2008 Indiana Fever
Career highlights and awards
  • WNBA All-Star (2004)
  • Kodak All-American (1998)
  • Ivy League Player of the Year (1996–1998)
  • 4× First-team All-Ivy League (1995–1998)
  • Ivy League Rookie of the Year (1995)
  • 2× NCAA season scoring leader (1997, 1998)
  • NCAA season rebounding leader (1997)
Career WNBA statistics
Points 2,260 (8.0 ppg)
Rebounds 693 (2.4 rpg)
Assists 406 (1.4 apg)

Allison Sharlene Feaster-Strong (born February 11, 1976) is a former professional basketball player from the United States. She played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1998 to 2008. Her teams included the Los Angeles Sparks, Charlotte Sting, and Indiana Fever.

Allison also played basketball professionally in Europe from 1998 to 2016. She played for teams in Portugal, France, Spain, and Italy. She officially retired from playing basketball on August 8, 2016.

Allison Feaster went to Harvard College and graduated in 1998. She earned a degree in Economics. While there, she set many records in Ivy League women's basketball. She was chosen as a first-team All-Ivy League player for all four years. She was also the first athlete in any sport to be named Ivy League Player of the Year three times. Before that, she was the Ivy League Rookie of the Year.

About Allison Feaster

Allison Sharlene Feaster was born on February 11, 1976. Her hometown is Chester, South Carolina. Her parents are William Preston Feaster III and Sandra Feaster. Allison's nickname is "Charley." She started playing basketball when she was seven years old. When she was in seventh grade, she tried out for her high school team. She was 5 feet, 9 inches tall and made the team as a starter!

Allison's parents separated when she was in fifth grade. She has said that her mother taught her how important schoolwork is. Her mother went back to college around the same time. Allison graduated at the top of her high school class. She turned down sports scholarships so she could choose what to study in college.

Allison is married to Danny Strong, her high school sweetheart. Danny also played college basketball at North Carolina State University. They have a daughter named Sarah Strong, who was born in February 2006. Allison and Danny both played basketball in Europe during the WNBA's off-season. After playing in France for several years, they became French citizens. Allison played under the name Allison Feaster in the WNBA. She used the name Allison Feaster-Strong when playing overseas.

In August 2012, Allison traveled to Myanmar. In August 2014, she went to the Philippines. She was a Sports Diplomacy Sports Envoy for the U.S. Department of State. She worked with other basketball stars like Derrick Alston and Erik Spoelstra. They held basketball clinics and events for young people and women in areas that needed help.

Allison's Basketball Journey

High School Achievements

Allison played for Chester High School, South Carolina from 1990 to 1994. She graduated as the top student in her class. During high school, she won a state basketball championship in 1993. She also won two South Carolina Player of the Year awards in 1993 and 1994. She was named to multiple All-American Basketball Team honors.

Allison started playing high school basketball in seventh grade. She received her first All-State honors as an eighth grader. She was the highest scorer (male or female) in South Carolina high school basketball history. Her record of 3,427 points was broken on January 3, 2003, by Ivory Latta.

College Basketball Star

Allison played for Harvard University from 1994 to 1998 in the NCAA. When she joined the Harvard team in 1994, she was an instant star. She averaged 17.0 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. She was chosen for the All-Ivy first team. Everyone agreed she should be the league's Rookie of the Year.

As a sophomore, Allison averaged 18.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. She was named Ivy League Player of the Year. Her team, the Crimson, won the first of three straight league championships. This championship earned the team its first trip to the NCAA tournament.

In her junior year, Allison led the Crimson in almost every stat. She scored 21.8 points per game and grabbed 10.8 rebounds per game. She also led the team in steals, blocks, and three-point shots. She was again named Ivy League Player of the Year. The 1996-97 Crimson team was the first women's basketball team to go undefeated in Ivy League play.

In her senior year at Harvard, Allison led the entire nation in scoring. She averaged 28.5 points per game. She was also 14th in rebounding and 16th in steals. She was honored as Ivy League Player of the Year again. She was also chosen for the Kodak Division I Women's All-America Basketball Team.

Despite a great record, the Harvard team was a low seed in the NCAA Tournament. They played the top-seeded Stanford Cardinal on Stanford's home court. Harvard won the game 71–67! Allison had an amazing 35 points and 13 rebounds. This win was historic. Harvard became the only No. 16 seed in NCAA men's or women's Division I basketball tournament history to beat a No. 1 seed in the first round.

Allison finished her college career with 2,312 points. This is the second-highest in Ivy League history. She also had 1,157 rebounds (third all-time) and 290 steals (third all-time). Many people say she is the greatest women's basketball player in Ivy League history. She was one of five players chosen for the Ivy League all-time women's basketball team in 2015.

She is one of only two Ivy League players ever to score 2,000 points and get 1,000 rebounds in a career. Allison was the first Ivy League player ever picked in the WNBA draft.

Playing in Europe

Like many WNBA players, Allison played in Europe during the fall and spring. Her longest times playing overseas were in France and Spain.

Her team, Valenciennes, won the French League title four years in a row. This was from 2001-02 through 2004-05. They also won the EuroLeague Women title in 2001-02 and 2003–04. Her team, Ros Casares Valencia, was the EuroLeague runner-up in 2006–07.

On August 8, 2016, C.B. Alcobendas announced that Allison had retired from professional basketball.

WNBA Career Highlights

Allison was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks as the fifth overall pick in the 1998 WNBA draft. She was 5 feet, 11 inches tall. Sadly, she broke her foot three games into her first season. She missed the rest of that year. She mostly played off the bench for the Sparks. The Sparks lost in the Western Conference Finals in both 1999 and 2000.

On October 11, 2000, Allison was traded to the Charlotte Sting. She had a bigger role with Charlotte. She started almost every game from 2001 until she took time off for maternity leave in 2005. She helped the Sting reach the WNBA Finals in 2001. She was among the top five players in the league for three-point shots from 2001 to 2003.

Allison was on the Charlotte Sting team when it closed down in January 2007. She became a free agent. After not playing in the 2007 WNBA season, Allison signed with the Indiana Fever in March 2008. She played 33 games for the Fever in 2008, mostly off the bench. The Fever released her on April 20, 2009.

Life After Playing Basketball

Allison Feaster at 2022 Boston Celtics game-1
Feaster at a 2022 Boston Celtics game in 2022

After retiring from basketball in 2016, Allison joined the NBA's Basketball Operations Associate Program. She finished the one-year program in 2017. After that, she became the Manager of Player Personnel & Coach Relations in the NBA G League. As of January 2020, she is the director of player development for the Boston Celtics.

Family Life

Allison's daughter, Sarah Strong, plays basketball for the UConn Huskies.

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