2023 will be Tony Allen’s first season in the BIG3. Over the course of his 13-year NBA career, Allen’s calling card was his defense. He made the NBA all-defensive second team on three occasions, and was named to the All-Defensive first team in 2013, 2014, and 2015.
Allen was drafted by the Celtics in 2004. He spent the first six years of his career as a key part of their rotation, and was a member of the Boston squad that won the 2008 NBA Championship. After his time with the Celtics, he went to Memphis, where he was a core part of the “Grit n’Grind” Grizzlies. With Allen helping to build a culture based around defense and toughness, the Grizzlies were consistently competitive during the six seasons he played there. He finished his NBA career with a one-year stint with the Pelicans. We’ll see what kind of impact Allen’s defensive abilities and hustle-first mentality can have in FIREBALL3.