The Memphis Grizzlies franchise has a short history as its existence only dates back to 2001 in the city of Memphis. After beginning as a franchise in 1995 as the Vancouver Grizzlies in Canada, they moved to Memphis only six years later.
Due to its short history, there aren't many players that have been a staple as their first playoff appearance didn't come until 2004, and their first playoff win and playoff series win didn't come until 2011. However, their 2011 playoff run began an era that is near and dear to the hearts of all Memphis Grizzlies fans.
The player who gave that era its name of Grit 'N Grind was Tony Allen, and on March 15th he will become the third Memphis Grizzlies player to get his jersey retired at the FedExForum. He will follow his 'Core Four' teammates Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, who got their jerseys retired in 2021 and 2024, respectively.
Ahead of Allen's jersey retirement, as those before him, was a documentary that was released on the Memphis Grizzlies' YouTube page called "Tony Allen: The Grindfather." While the documentary touches on Allen's upbringing and basketball career, various players appeared to speak on the toughness Tony Allen presented on the defensive end.
The three-time NBA All-Defensive First Team and three-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team recipient coined the term the "Grindfather" for his relentless defense that helped the Grizzlies become one of the NBA's best defensive teams from 2010 - 2017. The respect he gained around the league was on full display during his career and throughout the documentary with a surprise to Allen.
Klay Thompson gave Tony Allen credit for the Warriors dynasty
The Memphis Grizzlies made the playoffs every year throughout Allen's seven-year run with the team and towards the end of a successful tenure that included a Western Conference Finals appearance, the Grizzlies faced the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the 2015 playoffs. The Warriors were young and on the rise, as they had the best record in the NBA at 67-15 in Steve Kerr's first year as head coach.
However, the fourth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies presented a threat as they took a 2-1 lead in their series against the Warriors before losing the final three games of the series. Golden State went on to win their first of four championships in the next eight seasons. Steve Kerr, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson were among the players and coaches interviewed in the documentary, giving credit to the Grizzlies for being their toughest opponent during that playoff run.
"I made it personal guarding him"
— Parish Sharkey (@DaOne_PShark) March 6, 2025
I asked Tony Allen which player that interviewed for his documentary surprised him the most. Check out his response below: pic.twitter.com/gcYRI0rzvw
The appearance of Klay Thompson specifically surprised Tony Allen as he mentioned that he made that matchup against Thompson "personal" every time they faced the Warriors. That mentality was on full display during the Grizzlies' victories in games 2 and 3 of that series as Allen was often yelling out first-team All-Defense after making a play during those games.
Unfortunately, a hamstring injury limited Allen's impact the rest of that series and they couldn't overcome the offensive firepower of the Warriors. Regardless of the outcome, Tony Allen's impact as a defensive menace is remembered years later, and additional players like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, Chris Paul, the late great Kobe Bryant, and others joined the Warriors stars to give Allen his flowers ahead of his jersey retirement.