"It blew me" - Tony Allen shares Grizzlies GM’s concerns about his background impacting chemistry with 2x All-Star

Going into the 2010-2011 season, Tony Allen signed a three-year contract with the Memphis Grizzlies. At the time, Memphis was led by Zach Randolph, who had signed with the team the year prior after eight years in the league. According to Allen, Memphis' GM at the time, Chris Wallace, was concerned that Allen and Randolph would have chemistry problems.

As it turns out, Zach Randolph was affiliated with the Gangster Disciples, who had it out for Tony Allen because of a fight in Chicago his rookie year and a run-in with the GDs when he was 14. Because of that, the Grizzlies weren't sure the two could work together.

Allen and Randolph have since become close friends and host a podcast titled "Out The Mud." During the show's latest episode, Tony Allen opened up on the situation, recounting his conversation with Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace before signing his three-year deal.

“Before I came, there was a little discrepancy with the general manager. Shoutout, Chris Wallace," Allen said.

"He came to me and said, ‘Hey TA, I love to have you, man. I love everything you did out here in the Finals, man. But I have my research team on you, and is it gonna be a problem playing with Zach Randolph since you guys are two different disciples?' I said, ‘What?!’ Bro, it blew me!”

Revisiting the time Tony Allen received death threats

While Tony Allen was born in Chicago, not everyone in the city welcomed him back with open arms when he was part of the Boston Celtics.

In 2005, after being drafted by the Celtics, Allen was involved in a fight outside of a restaurant that led to another person being shot and the NBA player hit with an aggravated battery charge (found not guilty in 2007).

According to one report from the Boston Herald, Allen allegedly owed someone money and refused to pay it up; however, it's unclear if the reports are accurate.

The incident is believed to have involved members of a gang, who retaliated by threatening Allen before he and his Boston team played in Chicago during the 2008-09 season when the Celtics played the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs.

At the time, extra security was placed around the team benches. During the post-game press conference, a reporter asked Allen, Celtics coach Doc Rivers, and President Rich Gotham about the situation.

While Rivers and Gotham stated that the issue was an internal one that they wouldn't discuss, Allen wasn't having it and responded to a reporter who asked about the situation, saying:

"Is that what you're going to write about? Is that what you're going to write about?"

Despite that and Chris Wallace's concerns, Allen and Randolph never had a problem with one another on the Grizzlies. Both players now have their jerseys retired with the franchise.