Grayson Allen Explains Why Opposing Fans’ Boos Helped Him Have Record Night

The guard channeled the hate to have his best performance of the season.

Grayson Allen has been a villain throughout his basketball career, starting from when he was a freshman at Duke. The guard has now been in the public spotlight for almost a decade, and pretty much the entire time has dealt with some form of trolling by fans.

On Wednesday night, Allen recorded a career-high eight three-pointers in the Suns' win vs. the Bulls, and the guard credited the hate for his performance.

“Getting booed makes the game feel more normal for me,” Allen said, via Duane Radkin of AZCentral. “It’s more weird when it’s silent.”

Allen totaled 26 total points on the night, his most so far with Phoenix, helping the team make up for Devin Booker’s absence. However, the fact that the game occurred in Chicago must have made it even sweeter. 

Suns guard Grayson Allen had a career high eight three-pointers vs. the Bulls on Wednesday :: Gary A. Vasquez/USA Today network

Two years ago, while with the Bucks, Allen committed a hard foul on guard Alex Caruso that resulted in Caruso suffering a fractured wrist. Allen was suspended for the foul, and since then, Bulls fans have let him know how they feel about him when he plays in Chicago.

The booing is just the usual reaction Allen hears, dating back to his days with Duke, and specifically when he helped the Blue Devils beat Wisconsin in the 2015 NCAA national championship. He then became the face of Duke basketball until graduating in 2018.

The guard is now in his sixth NBA season, and while he isn’t a star, he has averaged over 10 points per game in four straight seasons and developed into a solid role player.