Tony Allen

Anthony Allen (born January 11, 1982), nicknamed "the Grindfather," is an American former professional basketball player who played for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), primarily for the Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies.

He is a six-time member on the NBA All-Defensive Team, including three first-team selections.

As a college freshman in 2000–01, Allen averaged 16.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.8 steals in 32 games (31 starts) for Butler County Community College.

He was subsequently named Second Team All-Jayhawk West Conference and the Jayhawk West Freshman of the Year.

As a sophomore, Allen averaged 14.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in 38 games for Wabash Valley College.

He led Wabash Valley to a 32–6 record and a fourth-place finish at the NJCAA Championships.

He was subsequently named Second Team All-Region XXIV.

For his junior season, Allen transferred to Oklahoma State University, where he averaged 14.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in 32 games (28 starts) in 2002–03.

He subsequently earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors.

By the end of the 2003–04 season, Allen had become the first player in Cowboys history to surpass the 1,000 career point threshold in only two seasons.

As a senior in 2003–04, Allen led Oklahoma State in scoring (16 points) and guided the Cowboys to the 2004 NCAA Final Four; he recorded 13 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in Oklahoma State's Final Four loss to Georgia Tech on April 3, 2004.

He was subsequently named Big 12 Player of the Year and earned an Honorable Mention All-America by the Associated Press.

Allen was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the first round (25th overall) of the 2004 NBA draft on June 24, 2004, and signed a multi-year contract with the Celtics on July 3, 2004.

As a rookie in the 2004–05 season, he averaged 6.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.99 steals in 16.4 minutes over 77 games (34 starts).

He scored 20 points in his first career start on January 22, 2005, against the Atlanta Hawks.

He later participated in the Rookie Challenge at the 2005 NBA All-Star Weekend, scoring a team-high 17 points.

In his first game of his 2006 campaign, Allen recorded 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals during a home game loss to the Hawks.

On March 20, 2006, Allen recorded a season-high 18 points and 4 steals in a home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

He tied his season-high 18 points on April 9, which came in a loss to the New York Knicks.

Eight days later, he broke his season-high as he scored 23 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 3 steals in a home game loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Allen went on to average 7.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.00 steals in 19.2 minutes in 51 games (nine starts) in his sophomore season with the Celtics.

On December 4, 2006, Allen scored a season-high of 20 points during a loss to the Chicago Bulls.

Two games later, he posted 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 steals in a loss to the Suns; 6 of his 7 rebounds were offensive rebounds.

On December 15, 2006, against the Denver Nuggets, Allen scored a career-high 30 points to go with 8 rebounds.

On January 7, 2007, Allen recorded 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 steals in a road loss to the Orlando Magic.

In a contest against the Indiana Pacers on January 10, 2007, Allen suffered a season-ending tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) of his left knee; Allen hurt the knee when he landed awkwardly after an uncontested dunk attempt, that came after the whistle, in the final minutes of the 97–84 loss.

In his third season, Allen averaged career-highs of 11.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.

Allen recovered in time for the start of the 2007–08 season.

In his first game coming out off the injury, Allen scored 4 points and grabbed 5 rebounds during a victory over the visiting Washington Wizards.

In his first double-digit scoring output since the injury, Allen recorded 13 points in a win over the New Jersey Nets on November 14.

He scored a season-high 20 points in a home game win versus the Memphis Grizzlies.

Almost four weeks later, Allen tied his season high during a road victory over the Miami Heat.

Allen scored 18 points to go along with 4 rebounds on February 20, during a road loss to the Golden State Warriors.

At the end of the regular season, he averaged 6.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 18.3 minutes over 75 games (11 starts).

Allen won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008.

Allen attended Crane High School in Chicago, where he played alongside fellow future NBA player Will Bynum.

He substantially contributed to the Celtics' successful playoff run that led to an NBA Finals berth, where they claimed the 2008 NBA Championship after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

In July 2008, Allen re-signed with the Celtics after agreeing to a two-year guaranteed deal paying $2.5 million each year.

Allen went on to average 7.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.17 steals in 19.3 minutes in 46 games (two starts) in his fifth season with the Celtics.

Allen played a pivotal defensive role for the Eastern Conference champion Celtics during the 2009–10 season, averaging 6.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.07 steals in 16.5 minutes in 77 games (eight starts).