Spike Lee might be a matchmaker.
In 1998, Lee recruited young NBA star Ray Allen to play Jesus Shuttlesworth opposite Denzel Washington in "He Got Game," which is one of the best basketball movies ever.
Two years later, singer Shannon Walker Williams appeared in Lee's 2000 film "Bamboozled."
The mutual connection between the iconic director may have been the spark that linked Williams and Allen.
Now, the two are married with four children of their own.
Ray Allen's Wife Shannon Allen
Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
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Shannon Williams is a founding member of the R&B group Shades. The foursome of Danielle Andrews, Tiffanie Cardwell, Monique Peoples and Williams met while attending Northeastern University in Boston. The group's self-titled and lone album was released in 1997 on Motown Records.
Following her success in music, Williams dipped her toes into acting. In addition to "Bamboozled," Williams' most notable appearances are in "Girlfight," "Britney, Baby, One More Time" and the TV series "Century City."
Allen and Williams officially started dating in 2004. They said their "I dos" on August 16, 2008.
Ray Allen's Children
The couple has four sons: Walter born in 2004, Walker born in 2006, Wynn born in 2009 and Wynstan born in 2012. Allen and Williams both have children from previous relationships. Allen's daughter is named Tierra. Walker has Type 1 diabetes.
Mrs. Allen started the cooking show "The Pre-Game Meal" when Allen was dealt to the Boston Celtics in 2008. The show focuses on cooking healthy and tasty meals. It featured several Boston-area athletes and aired on Comcast's Sportsnet.
She expanded her culinary interests with the health-based fast-food restaurant Grown. The menu is based around nutrient-dense, farm-to-fork cuisine and features a drive-thru. The establishment is based in Miami, where the Allens reside.
Photo by Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for Haute Living
The 10-time NBA All-Star was involved in a catfishing incident in 2017. Bryant Coleman told an Orlando, Florida, court that Allen was stalking him. Allen flipped around and said that Coleman was the one who was stalking.
Per ESPN:
"Coleman pretended to be a number of attractive women interested in Ray Allen," read the motion filed on Allen's behalf. "Ray believed he was speaking with these women and communicated with them."
It's reported that Allen and Coleman reached a settlement where Coleman agreed to stop contacting the NBA player.
Ray Allen's Basketball Career
Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Walter Ray Allen Jr. was born on July 20, 1975 at Castle Air Force Base in Merced, California. Growing up in a military family, Allen lived in several different places during his childhood, including England, Oklahoma, California and Germany.
Allen attended Hillcrest High School in Dalzell, South Carolina. It was there that he developed an incredible work ethic. His hard work paid off with a scholarship to the University of Connecticut.
At UConn, Allen shined. In three seasons, he averaged 19 points, 6 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He finished his Husky career as the school's third all-time leading scorer and set a single-season record of 115 three-pointers as a junior.
The shooting guard was selected fifth overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1996 NBA Draft. He was immediately traded to the Milwaukee Bucks.
— 2x NBA champion
— 10x NBA All-Star
— All-NBA Second Team (2005)
— All-NBA Third Team (2001)
— NBA Sportsmanship Award (2003)
— NBA 3-Point contest Champion (2001)
— NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1997)
— UPI Player of the Year (1996)
— Consensus First-Team All-American (1996)
— Big East Player of the Year (1996)
— 2x First-Team All-Big East
— USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (1995)
— No. 34 Retired by UConn Huskies
— South Carolina Mr. Basketball (1993)
Allen was also a member of the gold-medal winning USA Basketball team at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
The Miami Heat guard nailed one of the most clutch shots in NBA history in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals. The shot allowed the Heat to take the San Antonio Spurs to a Game 7, where the team secured its second-straight NBA championship.
He retired in 2014 after 18 seasons with the Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, Celtics and Heat. For his career, he averaged 18.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists.
The former professional basketball player is the NBA's all-time leader in 3-point field goals with 2,973. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
