What’s going on with Memphis Grizzlies legend Tony Allen?

Since the 2020-21 Memphis Grizzlies basketball season concluded, this Grizz team has been mostly involved in news that could be considered extremely bizarre.

It started off relatively tame, as the Grizzlies traded away Jonas Valanciunas in exchange for Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe, and upgraded first and second-round picks. We’re more comfortable with this now, but it was a bizarre trade that led to a handful of other endless trades.

Then, the preseason began.

The Grizzlies’ first preseason game ended with circumstances that are more than bizarre — the game was called off after three quarters due to a false fire alarm. This saw Memphis get the win in an 87-77 contest. Then we got the cherry on top.

Tony Allen, former Memphis Grizzly and arguably the best on-ball defender in NBA history, was charged with  “defrauding the league’s Health and Welfare Benefit plan out of approximately $4 million,” according to the Daily Memphian.

What exactly is going on with Memphis Grizzlies legend Tony Allen?

I can get into the specifics of this, but that would be really boring. In short, Allen received upwards of $260,000 in false chiropractic and dental claims. Here’s an example, given by U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of New York, Audrey Strauss.

"“For example, three of the charged defendants, Glen Davis, Anthony Wroten and (Tony) Allen, reportedly had root canals on the same six teeth on April 30, 2016, and crowns on the same six teeth on May 11, 2016. Wroten and Allen, each also reportedly also had root canals on the same 13 teeth on Sept. 6, 2018, and crowns on the same 12 teeth on Oct. 2, 2018.”"

There’s no better word to describe this situation other than “strange.” This is especially odd considering Allen accumulated $42.9 million throughout his NBA career from contracts alone. Endorsements likely inflated that number drastically.

Ironically, Tony Allen was known as a player who accumulated a high total of steals. Guess some things never change.

In his best season with the Grizzlies, Allen averaged 8.6 points per game and 2.0 steals per contest. These numbers sound modest, but Allen’s biggest impact was in the unmeasurables on defense.

Allen is currently a developmental coach for the Memphis Grizzlies G-League affiliate in the Memphis Hustle. As things stand, he hasn’t been fired or dismissed, so we’ll have to wait and see how this situation plays out for the Memphis legend.