Aulcie Perry facts for kids
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 3, 1950 Newark, New Jersey |
| Nationality | American / Israeli |
| High school | West Side (Newark, New Jersey) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 216 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Bethune-Cookman (1971–1973) |
| Pro career | 1974–1985 |
| Career history | |
| 1974–1975 | Virginia Squires |
| 1975–1976 | Allentown Jets |
| 1976–1985 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Aulcie Perry (Hebrew: אולסי פרי) (born July 3, 1950) is a retired American-Israeli professional basketball player. He helped Maccabi Tel Aviv win two EuroLeague championships, during his nine seasons with the team. During his playing career, he was listed at 2.08 m (6'10") tall, and 98 kg (215 lbs.) in weight, and he played at the center position.
In 1987, Perry was sentenced to ten years in prison. He was released in January 1992.
High school
Perry was born in Newark, New Jersey. He attended Newark's West Side High School, where he played high school basketball.
College career
Perry graduated from Bethune-Cookman University in Florida, where he played college basketball with the Wildcats.
Professional career
United States
Perry was signed to the Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association (ABA) in 1974. Perry was cut from the team during the 1974–75 season, however, and spent the balance of the season with the Allentown Jets, of the Eastern Professional Basketball League (the predecessor to the Continental Basketball Association (CBA)). The following season, he was signed by the New York Knicks, but he never played for the team. After being released by the Knicks, Perry returned to the Jets.
Israel
During the summer of 1976, Perry was spotted by a scout for Maccabi Tel Aviv, while playing at the Rucker courts in Harlem. Maccabi Tel Aviv signed Perry for US$6,000 a month, a small sum by American standards, but at the time, one of the highest salaries in the Israeli Super League, in which Maccabi Tel Aviv competed. The other players on the team responded to his leadership and the team had what Sports Illustrated writer Alexander Wolff described as "the most extraordinary season in its remarkable history" and what Perry called "the best nine months of [his] life". In 1977, Perry helped to lead the team to its first FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague) championship, a prize they took again four years later. Perry played a total of nine seasons with Maccabi Tel Aviv, during which the team won eight Israeli Cups and nine Israeli League championships.
Perry became a celebrity in Israel. He was congratulated by Prime Ministers Yitzhak Rabin and Menachem Begin, who said he helped bring "honor to the people of Israel". He began dating Israeli model Tami Ben-Ami, and the couple were the darlings of the press. Everywhere Perry went, he was besieged by fans seeking his autograph. In Israel, his name became a generic phrase for a tall person; one Israeli might remark to another that her child had grown into a real Aulcie Perry, and a children's song by Arik Einstein included the lyrics "If only I were tall like Aulcie Perry".
After the 1977–78 season, Perry converted to Judaism. He adopted the Hebrew name Elisha ben Avraham (אלישע בן אברהם). Shortly thereafter, Perry became an Israeli citizen.
After prison
After his release from prison in January 1992, Perry returned to Israel, where he managed a Burger Ranch restaurant. He sponsors a basketball camp for children in Israel. Perry also coaches one of Maccabi Tel Aviv's youth teams.
See also
In Spanish: Aulcie Perry para niños
