Grit and grind were two words that defined the career of Tony Allen. From his humble, yet turbulent days of growing up in Chicago to his hard-fought rise through the ranks in the NBA, he became one of the most respected guards in the league’s history. Recently, Allen sat down with Catch 12, a media company co-founded by Ja Morant, to share his origin story.
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The Memphis Grizzlies legend, whose No. 9 jersey was retired earlier this year, opened up about how his basketball dreams nearly never materialized. Allen revealed to hosts Tee and Phil Morant that he had dropped out of high school and came close to quitting the game altogether.
Allen’s school couldn’t play him because his grades weren’t there. Things weren’t too good at home either, since his mom found out how he was missing classes to gamble. It was all starting to unravel, and we likely wouldn’t have seen Allen in the NBA had it not been for Will Bynum, who was playing for the Detroit Pistons at the time.
“They kicked me out in my second year. But before they kicked me out, they were like trying to figure out, am I going to play? But now at this point in time, I don’t have the grades right now. So, I can’t play,” he said. “My mama came up there to the school. I’m in the hallway [playing dice]. I came to school with $5 [and I left with] $2300.”
“They open the doors, and when I looked up, it was my mama [and she] looked and said, ‘Get your a** up, man.’ Boy, it was the longest flight of stairs I walked [up] to. I end up dropping out, man [and] my mama wasn’t feeling that.”
The turning point came not long after. While on his way back from hustling on the streets of Chicago, Allen stumbled across a Pro-Am game with luxury cars lined up outside. Curious, he stepped inside and was invited to play by a friend. That same night, he matched up against Phoenix Suns forward Shawn Marion and, despite being rusty, dropped 18 points.
In the crowd that day was Pistons guard Bynum, a childhood friend of Allen’s and a rising name in Chi-Town’s competitive basketball circles. “As I was in the locker room, Will Bynum was right there next to his high school coach,” Allen said. “Will is a year younger than me. So, he was like, ‘Yo, TA? … Where you been, bro?”
Although embarrassed, Allen told the truth. He had dropped out and had no plan. But Bynum wouldn’t let that be the end of the story. With urgency in his voice, he told Allen, “I’ll get you into school.” That school turned out to be Crane High School, where Bynum had already won several city titles.
The rest is Windy City hoops folklore. “The Grindfather” returned to the court with renewed hunger, eventually earning a scholarship to Oklahoma State before entering the NBA in 2004 after being drafted by the Boston Celtics. From there, he built a defensive identity that changed games, shifted playoff series, and helped reshape the culture of the Grizzlies.
Tony Allen may have dropped out, but he never dropped off — all thanks to one moment, one friend, and one Pistons guard. Will Bynum may not have had a particularly brilliant NBA career himself, but he helped shape the path of a man who would go on to win the biggest championship in basketball.
