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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 Feaster (born February 11, 1976) is a very important person for the Boston Celtics basketball team. She is the Vice President of Team Operations & Organizational Growth. Before this, she was a professional basketball player.

Allison is known for her great leadership and ability to build strong teams. She is one of the few women, and women of color, who hold a high-level executive job in an NBA team's main office.

During her amazing college basketball career, Allison Feaster made history. She was the first player in any sport to be named Player of the Year three times in the Ivy League. She also led her Harvard team to a huge win in the NCAA Division-I Tournament. Her No. 16 seed Harvard team beat the No. 1 seed Stanford, which was a massive upset!

After college, she was picked early in the WNBA draft. She played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1998 to 2008. She played for 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, Italy, and Spain. She stopped playing professional basketball on August 8, 2016.

After she retired from playing in 2016, Allison joined the NBA's program for basketball operations. She then became the Player Personnel & Coach Relations Lead for the NBA G-League. Now, she works for the Boston Celtics.

Allison Feaster is very smart! She has degrees from Harvard College (in Economics), Universidad Europea (an MBA), and Harvard Business School.

Early Life and Education

Allison Feaster was born on February 11, 1976, in Chester, South Carolina. Her parents were William Preston Feaster III and Sandra Booker. Her nickname was "Charlie." Allison started playing basketball when she was seven years old and loved it.

When she was only in seventh grade, she tried out for her high school team. She was 5 feet, 9 inches tall and had practiced for years. She made the team and even became a starter, which was very unusual for someone so young!

Allison always says her mom taught her how important education is. Her mom raised Allison and her siblings by herself. Allison was the best student in her high school class and graduated as valedictorian. She turned down sports scholarships so she could choose what she wanted to study at Harvard.

Basketball Career Highlights

High School Success

  • 1990–1994: Chester High School, South Carolina

Allison Feaster was the top student at Chester High School. She also had an amazing basketball career there. She helped her team win a state basketball championship in 1993. She was named South Carolina Player of the Year twice, in 1993 and 1994. She also earned many All-American Basketball Team honors.

She started playing high school basketball in seventh grade. By eighth grade, she was already getting All-State honors. Allison was the highest scorer in South Carolina high school basketball history for a long time. She scored 3,427 points! Her record was finally broken in 2003 by Ivory Latta.

College Star at Harvard

When Allison joined the Harvard team in 1994, she was an instant star. She scored about 17.0 points and grabbed 11.8 rebounds per game. She was chosen for the All-Ivy first team and was named the league's Rookie of the Year. Everyone agreed she deserved it!

In her second year, Allison scored 18.1 points and got 10.1 rebounds per game. She was named Ivy League Player of the Year. Her team, the Crimson, won their first of three championships in a row. This win also got them their first trip to the NCAA tournament. They played against the Vanderbilt Commodores and lost, but they showed great effort.

Allison led the Crimson in almost every stat during her junior year. She scored 21.8 points and got 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. In 1996-97, the Crimson team made history by going undefeated in Ivy League games (14–0). They were a No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament and lost to the North Carolina Tar Heels.

In her final year at Harvard, Allison was the top scorer in the whole country! She averaged 28.5 points per game. She was also 14th in rebounding (10.8 per game) and 16th in steals (3.3 per game). She won the Ivy League Player of the Year award again. She was also chosen for the Kodak Division I Women's All-America Basketball Team.

Even with a great record, the Harvard team was a No. 16 seed for the NCAA Tournament. They played the No. 1 seeded Stanford Cardinal on Stanford's home court. Harvard won the game 71–67! Allison was amazing, scoring 35 points and getting 13 rebounds. This was a huge moment in NCAA history! Until 2018, Harvard was the only No. 16 seed in men's or women's NCAA Division I basketball to beat a No. 1 seed. No other team seeded lower than No. 13 has ever won a game in the women's NCAA Tournament.

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.

Allison Feaster is the only Ivy League player ever picked in the WNBA draft.

Playing in Europe

  • 1998–1999: Portugal Anadia Sanitana (Portugal)
  • 1999–2001: France ASPTT Aix-en-Provence
  • 2001–2005: France US Valenciennes Olympic
  • 2006–2007: Spain Ros Casares Valencia
  • 2007–2008: Spain C.B. San José León
  • 2008–2009: Italy Famila Wuber Schio
  • 2009–2011: Spain Mann Filter Zaragoza
  • 2011–2012: Spain Perfumerías Avenida Baloncesto
  • 2012–2013: Spain Uni Girona CB
  • 2013–2016: Spain C.B. Alcobendas

Like many WNBA players, Allison Feaster played basketball in Europe during the fall and spring. She spent a lot of time playing in France and Spain.

Her team, Valenciennes, won the French League title four years in a row, from 2001 to 2005. They also won the EuroLeague Women title in 2001-02 and 2003–04. Her team, Ros Casares Valencia, was second in the EuroLeague in 2006–07.

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

WNBA Career

Allison Feaster is 5 feet, 11 inches tall. The Los Angeles Sparks picked her as the fifth player overall in the first round of the 1998 WNBA draft. Sadly, she broke her foot just three games into her first season and missed the rest of the year. For her three seasons with the Sparks, she mostly played as a substitute. The Sparks lost in the Western Conference Finals in 1999 and 2000.

In October 2000, Allison was traded to the Charlotte Sting. With Charlotte, she had a much bigger role. She started almost every game from 2001 until she took time off for maternity leave in 2005. She was a key player in the Sting's journey to the WNBA Finals in 2001. She was one of the top five players in the league for three-point shots from 2001 to 2003. She even led the league in three-pointers made in 2002.

The Charlotte Sting team closed down in January 2007. Allison was not included in the special draft that followed. This was because she had become a free agent at the end of the 2006 season. 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 as a substitute. The Fever released her in April 2009.

Life Beyond the Court

Allison Feaster loves to help her community. She believes sports can bring people together from all over the world.

Because her dad was in the military, Allison and her family lived in Berlin when she was in second grade. This sparked her interest in different cultures. When she moved back to the U.S., she studied Spanish, German, and French. As an adult, she even became a dual citizen of France!

Allison has traveled to many places to help others. In August 2012, she went to Myanmar. In August 2014, she went to the Philippines. She was a Sports Envoy for the U.S. Department of State. She worked with other basketball stars like Erik Spoelstra to teach basketball clinics. These clinics were for kids and women from areas that don't have many opportunities. This work shows her lifelong passion for giving back.

After she stopped playing basketball in 2016, Allison joined the NBA's program for basketball operations. After finishing the program, she became the Manager of Player Personnel & Coach Relations for the NBA G League.

As of March 2023, she is the Vice President of Team Operations & Organizational Growth for the Boston Celtics. Allison also helps lead Boston Celtics United. This is a special program by the Celtics to help make things fairer for Black and Brown communities in Boston.

She continues to be a public speaker. She is a strong supporter of helping women and girls succeed. She also works as a global advocate for sports, like her role as a Sports Envoy.

Allison Feaster has received important awards. She won the YW Boston’s Academy of Women Achievers Award in 2022. She also received the 2023 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award.

Personal Life

Allison Feaster is a mom! Her daughter is Sarah Strong, who is a top basketball player in the Class of 2024 and will play for UConn Huskies.

Career Statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage
 FT%  Free throw percentage  RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high  *  Led Division I

College Statistics

Year Team GP Points FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG PPG
1994–95 Harvard 26 443 .530 .312 .779 11.2 1.9 17.0
1995–96 Harvard 27 490 .474 .357 .753 10.2 2.3 18.1
1996–97 Harvard 27 582 .478 .324 .763 *10.7 2.2 *21.6
1997–98 Harvard 28 797 .519 .406 .796 10.8 2.6 *28.5
TOTAL 108 2,312 .501 .359 .777 10.7 2.3 21.4

WNBA Regular Season Statistics

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
1998 Los Angeles 3 0 13.7 .214 .200 1.000 0.7 1.0 0.7 0.0 1.3 3.3
1999 Los Angeles 32 4 12.8 .495 .368 .684 1.8 1.0 0.5 0.2 0.9 5.1
2000 Los Angeles 32 0 14.7 .359 .259 .833 2.7 1.0 0.7 0.1 1.1 6.3
2001 Charlotte 32 32 31.5 .375 .327 .921 4.8 1.4 0.9 0.3 1.8 11.4
2002 Charlotte 32 32 29.9 .394 .418 .824 3.7 1.9 1.2 0.4 1.3 11.8
2003 Charlotte 34 34 32.2 .376 .351 .846 3.3 2.1 1.5 0.3 2.1 12.4
2004 Charlotte 33 32 31.9 .398 .315 .868 2.5 1.8 0.8 0.2 2.1 11.8
2005 Charlotte 21 21 31.7 .377 .430 .846 1.8 2.4 0.7 0.1 1.8 9.1
2006 Charlotte 32 1 9.7 .235 .250 .500 0.6 0.7 0.4 0.1 0.4 1.7
2008 Indiana 33 0 9.1 .337 .307 1.000 0.7 0.8 0.2 0.1 0.4 2.6
Career 10 years, 3 teams 284 156 22.2 .378 .344 .835 2.4 1.4 0.8 0.1 1.3 8.0

WNBA Playoffs Statistics

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
1999 Los Angeles 4 0 8.0 .267 .200 1.000 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.0 0.3 3.5
2000 Los Angeles 4 0 11.0 .313 .231 1.000 2.3 0.8 0.5 0.2 1.3 3.8
2001 Charlotte 8 8 31.0 .351 .314 1.000 4.3 1.8 1.1 0.5 1.1 8.0
2002 Charlotte 2 2 32.5 .300 .231 .000 7.5 3.5 1.0 0.0 2.0 7.5
2003 Charlotte 2 2 31.5 .350 .400 .750 2.5 0.5 1.0 0.0 0.0 10.5
2006 Indiana 2 0 4.0 .500 .500 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 1.5
Career 6 years, 3 teams 22 12 20.9 .333 .295 .917 3.0 1.2 0.7 0.2 0.9 6.0
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