American basketball player (born 1957)
Allen Frazier Leavell (born May 27, 1957) is a retired American professional basketball player from Muncie, Indiana.
Career
Amateur
At Muncie Central High School, Leavell averaged 18 points per game in his final year.[1] A 6'1" (1.85 m), 170 lb (77 kg) point guard, he enrolled in Oklahoma City University and played for the then-Division 1 Men's Basketball Team, averaging 22 points in 1978-1979.[1]
Playing career
Leavell was selected in the fifth round of the 1979 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets, going on to play ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), all as a member of the Rockets, appearing in exactly 700 games in the regular season. On January 25, 1983, he set a franchise record with 22 assists in a game. Over the whole 1982-1983 season, he was the team's leaders in points, steals, and assists.[2][3]
Leavell was waived early in the 1986-87 season by the Rockets and then signed again a few months later after the team lost two players due to drug suspensions.[4]
In his NBA career, he averaged 9.5 points per game and 4.8 assists per game. Leavell participated in two NBA Finals (in 1981 and 1986), in two losses against the Boston Celtics. He finishes as the third all-time with the Rocket Franchise in both assists (3,339) and steals (929).[5]
In 1989, he joined the Continental Basketball Association playing for the Tulsa Fastbreakers but was suspended after assaulting a referee.[6]
Post-NBA
As someone who played exclusively with the Houston Rockets within the NBA, Leavell remained involved in the team, participating in community outreach[7] and serving as commentator with local outlets.[8]
He is inducted into the Oklahoma City University Hall of Fame.[9]
