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Memphis Grizzlies: Kobe Bryant Offers Additional Praise to Tony Allen as Top Defender

By Blake Monroe

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 22: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers greets Tony Allen #9 of the Memphis Grizzlies after the game on March 22, 2016 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 22: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers greets Tony Allen #9 of the Memphis Grizzlies after the game on March 22, 2016 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Though Tony Allen no longer plays for the Memphis Grizzlies, his tough defensive legacy is reminded to us all in a recent interview with Kobe Bryant.

In a recent interview that can be seen via SLAM, Kobe Bryant again gives praise to former Memphis Grizzlies wing defenseman Tony Allen.

When asked who the toughest defender he ever played against was, Bryant responds by saying “That’s easy. Tony Allen. He was the only one not crying for help.”

Kobe goes on to say that the reason he will always choose Allen as his top defender is that no matter what, he always stayed physical. Bryant added “he could score 10 points in a row and Tony Allen wouldn’t even blink. He would just keep defending.”

Known to the City of Memphis and Grizzlies fans worldwide as the “Grindfather,” Tony Allen was the cornerstone of the infamous Grit ‘n’ Grind era along with teammates Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, and Zach Randolph.

Allen played for Memphis from 2010-2017; the height of the Memphis Grizzlies franchise and also his career, even considering his championship days as a member of the Boston Celtics.

Related Story. Greatest Memphis Grizzlies of All-Time: Tony Allen. light

What many people forget is that Allen is an NBA World Champion, with Celtics’ 2008 squad. That veteran group in Boston really molded him into the defensive beast he became for the Grizzlies.

Also, nationally, his career goes unnoticed for his tough work on the court. Throughout his career, it was not just Kobe Bryant that noticed his lock-down defensive playing style.

Tony Allen was a three-time member of the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team in addition to being a three-time member of the All-Defensive Second Team.

The last time he was noticed by the league as an All-Defensive Second Team player, it was the 2017 season, at the age of 35. This just goes to show that his hard, rough style never changed. It was something his Grizzly teammates could and did rely upon over the course of the best days of his NBA career.

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Kobe Bryant continues to reiterate cold, hard facts. Who could blame him? Defense as great as Tony’s deserves all the recognition in the world.

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