The Memphis Grizzlies are set to honor Tony Allen by retiring his No. 9 jersey on Saturday, March 15, at the FedExForum, coinciding with their game against the Miami Heat.
This event marks Allen as the third player in the franchise’s history to have his number retired, following in the footsteps of Zach Randolph, whose No. 50 was retired on December 11, 2021, and Marc Gasol, whose No. 33 was honored on April 6, 2024.
Allen joined the Grizzlies in 2010 as a free agent and played a pivotal role in leading the team to the NBA Playoffs during all seven of his seasons there (2010-2017). He was part of the franchise’s inaugural playoff victory in 2011 and played a key part in their run to the 2013 Western Conference Finals. The Chicago native currently ranks second in the franchise’s history for steals with 762 and is also among the franchise’s top 10 in games played (462; 6th), offensive rebounds (741; 9th), blocks (217; 10th), and total minutes (11,588; 10th).
Throughout his time with the Grizzlies, Allen earned selection to the NBA All-Defensive team on six occasions, being named to the First Team three times (2011-12, 2012-13, 2014-15) and receiving Second Team accolades three times (2010-11, 2015-16, 2016-17). His formidable perimeter defense played a crucial role in the Grizzlies finishing in the top 10 for points allowed in six out of seven seasons, highlighted by a league-best average of 89.3 points in the 2012-13 season, during which they secured a franchise-record 56-26 record.
Image Source: Tony Allen @ Instagram
