The ‘Grit and Grind’ era of the Memphis Grizzlies will forever be looked upon fondly by their fanbase. No, it did not lead to a championship as the franchise is still looking for their first NBA Finals appearance. The era did provide their fans with players they could grow to love though. They knew any Grizzlies game they went to, they wouldn’t be cheated out of their money as the players were going to give it their all.
The franchise’s inaugural season came in 1995-96 as the Vancouver Grizzlies. The team moved to Memphis beginning in the 2001-02 season. After 29 seasons, the Grizzlies have retired two player jerseys: Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Both of those players played major roles on those ‘Grit and Grind’ Grizzlies.
On March 15, 2025, a third member from the Grizzlies ‘Grit and Grind’ era will have their jersey hung from the rafters.
‘Grit And Grind’ Grizzlies Member To Have Jersey Retired In March
Tony Allen Was A Defensive Stalwart In Memphis
Maybe the player who most embodied that era of Memphis Grizzlies basketball was Tony Allen. Allen never put up numbers that stood out when looking at the box score, and he was never in All-Star consideration, but he was a defensive menace who clearly didn’t cheat the game he loved. A member of the 2008 Boston Celtics championship team, Allen played seven seasons for the Grizzlies from 2010-11 to 2016-17. That is half of the 14-year playing NBA career Allen had from 2004-05 to 2017-18.
Now the Grizzlies are ensuring that nobody else will wear the #9 jersey that he put on for seven years. The Grizzlies have announced that Allen’s jersey retirement will occur this upcoming season on March 15 in a game against the Miami Heat.
All heart. Grit. Grind.
Tony Allen Jersey Retirement Night on March 15.@Robinhoodapp | Get tix: https://t.co/pIqm01BOtz pic.twitter.com/00IH30oZAK
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) September 24, 2024
In 462 regular season games (359 starts) with Memphis, Allen posted averages of 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.7 steals. He was named to an All-Defensive team in six of his seven years with the Grizzlies (two First Team, four Second Team). Allen had Defensive Player of the Year finishes of fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth. His 796 steals rank second in franchise history only behind Mike Conley.
Grizzlies Most Sustained Success Came During His Seven Seasons
The Grizzlies have made the postseason 13 times in franchise history. They had two stints of making it three straight years from 2004-06 and 2021-23. The other seven years they reached the playoffs? They came in the seven seasons that Allen was on the team.
In three of those seven seasons, Memphis was able to advance past the first round. Their best finish in team history came in the 2012-13 season where they advanced to the Western Conference Finals. In that season, they finished with the franchise’s best record at 56-26 (since equaled in 2021-22). Allen played a huge role on three-straight Grizzlies teams that won at least 50 games from 2012-13 to 2014-15.
Before Allen arrived, the Grizzlies had never even won a playoff series. No, he may not have been the best player on those ‘Grit and Grind’ Grizzlies teams. They also likely wouldn’t have experienced the amount of success they did without him.
