The Birth of Grit and Grind: How Tony Allen completed the Grizzlies
(Photo illustration by Kelsey Bowen/The Daily Memphian, photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Birth of Grit and Grind is a two-part series on Tony Allen, the Grindfather, who planted the seed for an entire era of Memphis Grizzlies basketball and culture, written by Chris Herrington.
Allen’s “No. 9” Grizzlies jersey will be retired in a ceremony following the Grizzlies’ game against the Miami Heat on Saturday, March 15. It will join Zach Randolph’s “No. 50” and Marc Gasol’s “No. 33.”
The game, which will feature Allen tributes and video segments during breaks in play, and the postgame ceremony will be broadcast on the FanDuel Sports Network as well as locally on Action News 5 (WMC-TV). Tipoff is 7 p.m.
A feature-length Grizzlies-produced documentary on Allen, “Tony Allen: The Grindfather,” has been made available on YouTube.
Read Part I, The Birth of Grit and Grind: Remembering Tony Allen’s improbable Grizzlies breakthrough, here.
The Memphis Grizzlies didn’t have much business winning in Oklahoma City on Feb. 8, 2011, and that night now looms large in franchise lore.
Since beating the Thunder in newcomer Tony Allen’s home-floor breakthrough game the month before, the Grizzlies had finally clawed their way into the black, but just barely, going 11-7 to take a 27-26 record into Oklahoma City.
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Chris Herrington
Chris Herrington covers the Memphis Grizzlies and writes about Memphis culture, food, and civic life.
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