Tony Allen May Be The Best Storyteller Of Our Generation

Tony Allen will always have a special place in my heart for everything he did back in 2008. He was basically Marcus Smart before Marcus Smart. However, during his time in Boston I don’t think I ever heard him say 5 words. Just a quiet dude that only cared about locking up your best player and missing every jumpshot he took. But ever since earlier in the year when I first heard the story with him and KG talking about Austin Rivers

I’ve been fascinated with this retirement version of TA. Well he gave us a couple more stories the other day that I feel like every Celtics fan would enjoy, even though they have nothing to do with Boston.

Only Tony Allen would take crossing up Marco Belinelli of all people as an opportunity to talk shit to Michael Jordan. That makes so little sense yet perfect sense all at the same time. Like of course Jordan knew Belinelli sucked so his reaction of laughing in TA’s face is perfect. I guess you don’t always get your opportunity to talk shit to the GOAT so you have to basically take what you can get, but getting that sort of reaction from MJ had to hurt a little bit deep down. He says he wasn’t embarrassed by it but I can’t believe that to be true. There’s nothing worse than thinking you’re hot stuff and talking all this shit just to have the other person laugh in your face. That’s tough. Big deal you cooked Marco Belinelli, I’m sure Jordan could do that in his sleep at that moment in time because who can’t cook Belinelli. But that’s why I love TA, it’s not like he had a ton of opportunities to talk shit so you have to take what you can get.

It’s also peak Tony Allen that he referred to himself as Mr First Team All Defense, because he’s not lying. A total of three First Team All Defense teams from 2011-2014 and a couple more Second Teams sprinkled in, he’s always going to go down in my opinion as one of the best on ball defenders I ever watched play. I never imagined we would live in a world where that type of self confidence would actually earn him some clout with officials, but that was funny to hear as well.

All I know is I am all in on Tony Allen telling stories from his playing days. I really had no idea he was such an interesting guy because again you never really heard anything from him while he was playing, but I need more stories and I need them immediately. Like this one where he talks about Pierce giving him a 30k watch

I don’t really care what it is though. Get TA in a room, give him a mic, and let whatever happens happen because the man is awesome.