Woodrow Wilson High School on March 23, 2022. Photo by Renee Umsted.
Woodrow Wilson High School has produced some successful athletes.
There’s Tim Brown and Davey O’Brien, who both played in the NFL, for example.
But there’s another graduate who helps form a connection between Woodrow and the ongoing conference finals between the Dallas Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors: Alton Lister.
Lister, who graduated from Woodrow in 1976, spent 17 years in the NBA, including four seasons as a player for the Warriors (1990-94). He was inducted into Woodrow’s Hall of Fame in 1990.
In total, Lister played for five teams in his nearly two-decade career, and his teams made the playoffs in 11 seasons.
In a 2020 Q&A with ESPN, Lister says what helped keep him in the league for so long was his physical fitness as well as his emotional and mental health.
After he retired from the NBA, Lister eventually made his way to the Philippine Basketball Association and became an assistant coach for one of the teams.
The Warriors never won the NBA Playoffs while Lister was on the roster. In the 1991-92, 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons, the Warriors went undefeated against the Mavericks, according to this stats site.
His Golden State teammates included Chris Mullin and Tim Hardaway; Hardaway’s son now plays for the Mavericks.
Golden State is winning the current series 3-0. The next game is scheduled for tomorrow.
