Tony Allen was a defensive juggernaut back in the day. The former Boston Celtics star took on the hardest assignments on defense night in and night out and thrived. However, like many before him, Allen found it extremely difficult to guard Lakers legend Kobe Bryant on the basketball court. A year after retiring in 2018, the 2008 NBA champion sat down for an interview with NBA.com and explained what made the Los Angeles Lakers superstar a nightmare defensive assignment.
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Allen explained that guarding Bryant caused him to foul out of the game in just eight minutes. That prompted him to ask the Celtics’ film room executive to create a long and detailed video of every move the Lakers superstar pulled in a game. Allen revealed that he would watch the tape as soon as he woke up and continue studying it even while brushing his teeth.
The veteran guard soon noticed similarities between Bryant and Michael Jordan. He said during the NBA.com interview:
“Kobe is almost like Jordan. A lot of Jordan moves, fadeaway, fadeaway, head fake, head fake. Jab step, stop, pull up. Boom. Or I’m gonna take you to the hole and dunk. The only time I’m gonna shoot this 3 is when it’s low clock, catch-and-shoot or swing-swing. I was starting to notice how he was trying to simplify his game just to get 20 points.“
Allen further went on to say that Bryant was his toughest defensive assignment ever. He explained that he would look at the scoreboard in the second half to take into account how many points Bryant had. If he had around ten, Allen knew he would up the ante on offense, which prompted him to match the energy.
Kobe acknowledged the effort the former Celtics star put in to limit his offensive output. Allen was grateful that the Mamba appreciated how hard he worked to study the latter’s game. Allen admitted:
“For him to acknowledge that I was one of the best defenders to guard him, man, he probably was the only guy that I would fall asleep watching film on.“
Allen’s work ethic paid off. He earned six All-Defense team selections during his career and played a pivotal role off the bench in the Celtics’ run to the NBA title in 2008, where they beat Bryant and the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Allen may not have been as gifted as his peers, but his hard work enabled him to enjoy a 14-year career in the NBA.
Kobe Bryant’s admiration for Tony Allen
Kobe Bryant was obsessed with working on his game and finding ways to exploit the opposition’s weakness. When he ran into a player willing to put in as much effort as him, Kobe never shied away from paying his respects. During his 20-year NBA career, Bryant came across many players who can claim being among the best defenders in NBA history. However, the Mamba credited Tony Allen as the best defender he’s ever faced.
During his farewell season in 2015-16, Kobe received love and admiration in every arena he played and from every player he lined up against. He reciprocated as much as he could. After a game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Bryant gifted Allen his game-worn shoes and signed it:
“To Tony, the best defender I ever faced!”
Allen shared a photo of Bryant’s priceless gift to him. Receiving that compliment from the five-time NBA champion is certainly gratification for the hard work the guard put in. Three All-Defense first-team nods is no easy feat. Allen is a prime example of grit and hard work triumphing talent. Not many can boast of enjoying a 14-year-long career in the NBA while not being an All-Star-level talent. However, Allen is in that elusive club.
