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Tony Allen Had Perfect Profane Description of Grizzlies During Jersey Retirement

Memphis retired the defensive juggernaut's No. 9 on Saturday night.

Mike Kadlick

Tony Allen speaks at the Grizzlies arena.
Tony Allen speaks at the Grizzlies arena. / Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Longtime NBA guard Tony Allen had his No. 9 jersey retired by the Grizzlies on Saturday night in Memphis. A defensive stalwart, the 2004 first-round pick earned the nickname "the Grindfather" for his tenacious play throughout his 15-year NBA career.

More specifically, during his time with Memphis, Allen earned All-Defensive First Team honors three times (2012, '13, '15) as well as Second Team honors three times ('11, '16, '17). During his speech at Tennessee's FedExForum on Saturday, he spoke about both his and his teammate's style of play throughout those years, leading to an awesome—but rather profanity-laced—description:

"We weren't no glitz and glamour-y team," Allen explained. "You come in here, we might slap the sh-- out of you."

Noted.

Allen's impact on the Grizzlies over his seven-year tenure was certainly felt. While they never advanced to the NBA Finals, Memphis qualified for the postseason every year Allen played for them—peaking in 2012-16 with a 56-26 regular season record before ultimately losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.

Despite being widely regarded as one of the best defenders in NBA history, Allen shockingly never won a Defensive Player of the Year award. Hopefully his No. 9 jersey now being a part of Grizzlies lore will suffice.

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Mike Kadlick
MIKE KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He has a master's in public relations from Boston University. Kadlick is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.

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