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Today, the NBA Players’ Association announced its second annual award winners. While none of the Grizzlies managed to take home any of the major awards, Tony Allen still brought home a little hardware. The Grindfather was already First Team All Defense. Now it appears he’s First Team All Teammate as well.
. @TheNBPA also voted on a Teammate of the Year for each team. Here are those winners. https://t.co/VyMkhpEJE3 pic.twitter.com/mklUjRvsQP
— SB Nation NBA (@SBNationNBA) August 4, 2016
Allen is the first Grizzly to win the award, as last year’s awards didn’t include the category. Allen certainly didn’t lack competition, as the Grizzlies used an NBA record 28 players last season, including Vince Carter, who just recently won the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award.
It’s likely that teammates appreciate Tony for some of the same things fans appreciate him for: his heart, his grit, his determination, and his toughness. Even as he ages, TA never loses his passion for the game. He’s also pretty great, although the NBPA voted LeBron as the best social media follow.
So, congratulations to the Grindfather Tony Allen, the Grizzlies’ Teammate of the Year!