Tony Allen (basketball) facts for kids
Allen with the Boston Celtics in 2008
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 11, 1982 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| High school | Crane (Chicago, Illinois) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 213 lb (97 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College |
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| NBA Draft | 2004 / Round: 1 / Pick: 25th overall |
| Selected by the Boston Celtics | |
| Pro career | 2004–2018 |
| Career history | |
| 2004–2010 | Boston Celtics |
| 2010–2017 | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 2017–2018 | New Orleans Pelicans |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 6,654 (8.1 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,884 (3.5 rpg) |
| Steals | 1,158 (1.4 spg) |
Anthony Allen (born January 11, 1982), known as "the Grindfather," is a former American professional basketball player. He played for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is most famous for playing with the Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies. Tony Allen was chosen for the NBA All-Defensive Team six times. He even won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008. People remember him for his amazing defense. Many consider him one of the best defenders in NBA history.
Contents
College Career
Junior College Years (2000–2002)
Tony Allen went to Crane High School in Chicago. After high school, he played college basketball at Butler County Community College. In his first year, he scored about 16.5 points per game. He also grabbed 6.1 rebounds and made 2.8 steals per game. He was recognized as a top freshman player.
Later, he played for Wabash Valley College. There, he helped his team achieve a great record of 32 wins and 6 losses. They even finished fourth at the national junior college championships.
Oklahoma State University (2002–2004)
For his junior year, Allen moved to Oklahoma State University. In his first season there, he averaged 14.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.
In his senior year (2003–04), Allen was the top scorer for Oklahoma State. He led the team to the NCAA Final Four. This is a huge achievement in college basketball. He was named the Big 12 Player of the Year. By the end of his time at Oklahoma State, he was the first player in their history to score over 1,000 points in just two seasons.
Professional Career
Boston Celtics (2004–2010)
The Boston Celtics picked Tony Allen in the first round of the 2004 NBA draft. He was the 25th player chosen overall. In his first season (2004–05), he played in 77 games. He scored 6.4 points and grabbed 2.9 rebounds per game. He even played in the Rookie Challenge during the NBA All-Star Weekend.
During his third season, Allen was playing very well. He averaged 11.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. However, he suffered a serious knee injury in January 2007. This injury ended his season early.
Allen worked hard to recover and was ready for the 2007–08 season. He played an important role for the Celtics. He helped them reach the 2008 NBA Finals. The Celtics won the 2008 NBA Championship by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers. This was a huge moment in his career.
He continued to play a key defensive role for the Celtics. In the 2009–10 season, he helped them reach the 2010 NBA Finals again. However, they lost to the Lakers this time.
Memphis Grizzlies (2010–2017)
On July 13, 2010, Tony Allen signed with the Memphis Grizzlies. He quickly became known as one of the best defensive players in the league. He was so good at defense that he earned the nickname "the Grindfather." This nickname came from the Grizzlies' tough, defensive style of play, known as "Grit and Grind."
In his first season with Memphis (2010–11), he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. This was his first time receiving such an honor. He helped the Grizzlies make it to the Western Conference Semifinals for the first time ever.
In the 2011–12 season, Allen set a team record with 8 steals in one game. He was then named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. He was recognized as one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA by general managers.
He continued to excel defensively in the 2012–13 season. He earned his second straight First Team All-Defense honor. He also helped the Grizzlies reach the Western Conference Finals for the first time in their history.
Allen continued to be a strong defensive player for the Grizzlies. In the 2014–15 season, he made his third NBA All-Defensive First Team. He was one of the league leaders in steals per game.
In May 2016, he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team again. This was his fifth All-Defensive selection in six seasons with the Grizzlies. He consistently made the team's defense better when he was on the court.
In June 2017, Allen received his sixth career All-Defensive selection. This meant he was recognized as a top defender six times in his seven seasons with the Grizzlies. On October 12, 2017, the Grizzlies announced they would retire his No. 9 jersey. This is a great honor for a player.
New Orleans Pelicans (2017–2018)
Tony Allen signed with the New Orleans Pelicans in September 2017. He played 22 games for them. In February 2018, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls. However, he was released by the Bulls a few days later and did not play any games for them. This marked the end of his NBA playing career.
Player Profile
Tony Allen is 6 feet 4 inches tall (1.93 m) and weighs 213 pounds (97 kg). He played as a shooting guard and small forward. He was known as an amazing all-around defender. His main job was to guard the best offensive players on the other team. He made it very hard for them to score.
He was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team six times between 2010 and 2016. This shows how consistently great he was at defense.
In 2016, NBA legend Kobe Bryant gave Allen an autographed pair of shoes. On them, Kobe wrote, "To Tony, the best defender I ever faced!" This was a huge compliment from one of the greatest players ever.
When he played for the Boston Celtics, his teammates called him "Gucci." With the Memphis Grizzlies, he earned his famous nickname "Grindfather."
See also
In Spanish: Tony Allen para niños
