Skip to content
  • Essence GU
  • Beautycon
  • NaturallyCurly
  • Afropunk
  • Essence Studios
  • Soko Mrkt
  • Ese Funds
  • Refinery29
  • 2025 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Lifestyle
  • Entrepreneurship
  • News
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
  • Subscribe
Home • Money & Career

Ray Allen Graduated From UCONN Nearly 30 Years After Dropping Out For The NBA

The NBA legend returned to the University of Connecticut to obtain his bachelor's degree after getting drafted to the NBA his junior year.
Ray Allen Graduated From UConn Nearly 30 Years After Dropping Out For The NBA
CLEVELAND, OHIO – FEBRUARY 20: Ray Allen reacts after being introduced as part of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team during the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 20, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
By Jasmine Browley · Updated May 9, 2023

He’s got game…and a college degree.

NBA legend Ray Allen received a bachelor’s degree in general studies from the University of Connecticut (UConn) according to a report by CBS Sports.

Ray Allen with his fellow UConn graduates under his retired jersey is an iconic photo 💙

(via @NutmegNews) pic.twitter.com/WdXqg1Cwgl

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) May 7, 2023

He attended the school from 1993-1996 and played for its team until he joined the NBA. Allen was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth pick of the 1996 NBA draft and was later traded to the Milwaukee Bucks where he went on to sign a 3-year, $6.2 million contract with the team.

To date, he is the only UConn men’s basketball player with his jersey retired, per Connecticut’s Hartford Courant.

Joe Arruda of the outlet shared that Allen began taking classes again in 2008 and focused more of his time on completing the degree during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When I was in school, there was a couple of RAs that were in their 30s and I thought, ‘Wow, they’re still in school. It’s never too late to learn,'” Allen said.

“This day isn’t about me, it’s about the people that helped me along the way to finish this mission, be on this journey to graduate from college. And you got to do it by yourself but it’s made up of a lot of people around you, so I didn’t want it to be about me walking in and everybody, you know. These kids are on their individual journeys, so I was so inspired to be sitting next to them and talking to them.”