Leaving bigger impact off the court
Allison Feaster’s professional journey began at the 1998 WNBA Draft: the Los Angeles Sparks selected Feaster, a 5-11 forward from Harvard University, with the fifth pick in the draft. This hidden gem from the Ivy League led No. 16 Harvard to upset No. 1 Stanford in the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament. A 16-seed defeated a one-seed for the first time ever, and Feaster led the Crimson with 35 points, 13 rebounds, and three steals in 39 minutes. Before the game, few knew her name. Afterward, none would forget it.
Feaster played in the WNBA for the Los Angeles Sparks (1998-2000), Charlotte Sting (2001-06), and Indiana Fever (2008), and overseas in Portugal, Spain, and France from 1998-2016. During her time with the Sparks, Feaster recorded a career high 11 made field goals in June 2000. She also averaged just over three points and two rebounds per game her rookie season. She played alongside Sparks All-Time greats like Lisa Leslie, Delisha Milton-Jones, and Tamecka Dixon to help establish the foundation for the Sparks dynasty starting in 2001. Though Feaster was not a member of the 2001 and 2002 Championship teams, her impact on the team was felt immensely.
Feaster played for the Charlotte Sting where she recorded career highs points (24), rebounds (11), and steals (4) throughout her six year stint with the team. Following the 2006 WNBA season, Feaster and husband Devon Strong gave birth to their first and only daughter Sarah Strong in February 2006. Following her daughter’s birth, Feaster played in the WNBA until 2008 and spent the remainder of her career playing overseas.
In 2016, Feaster became a member of the NBA’s Basketball Operations Associate Program. Then, she was hired on to work in Player’s Development and Basketball Operations for the Boston Celtics. Feaster is the only woman working in the organization’s front office, and is on a short list of Black women working in NBA Executive positions. She worked her way up to her current position: Celtics Vice President of Player’s Development and Organizational Growth. Feaster was with the team in the NBA Bubble to finish out the 2020 season.
Off the court, Feaster is heavily involved in social justice movements within the greater Boston area and the Celtics organization In an interview with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, Feaster described her roles within the organization.
“Co-leader of Celtics United Social Justice Initiatives organizational commitment to combating social and racial injustice in greater Boston,” Feaster states. “I also serve as co-lead for the criminal justice and law enforcement committee within the Social Justice Initiative.”
A former WNBA veteran, NBA Executive, Mother, Wife, and social justice leader, Feaster has worn-and continues-to wear many hats. She shattered glass ceilings for the next generation of female athletes and female league Executives. Not half bad, for a former player who once stated in an interview with Harvard, “Interestingly, it wasn’t ever a goal to play professional basketball.”
Feaster’s impact on basketball, social justice reform, and the LA Sparks remains #RootedInLA