“He’s LEGIT” Grizzlies icon Tony Allen shares hilarious encounter with Talen-Horton Tucker
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Tony Allen Talks about 1st meeting with Talen-Horton Tucker
Talen-Horton Tucker is getting some recognition he deserves. The talented star has been playing a second fiddle role in a star-studded Los Angeles Lakers team, but his contributions were important enough. His rise to fame is one of those feel-good factors for THT personally as he prepares for the upcoming 2023 season with the Lakers. From being a late 46th overall pick in the draft to extended stints in the NBA G League during his rookie year, the 21-year-old forward-guard has now made a name for himself as a prominent member of the Los Angeles Lakers game plans. His recent performances certainly caught some eyes, and one of them was former Grizzlies star defender Tony Allen.
Former NBA Champion Allen recently went on a podcast to share his unforgettable story about the Lakers’ youngster. Ironically Allen was retired from the league when THT made his debut in the NBA. So it was a G-League match-up where Allen found out about Tucker, while he was attending a game.
This was during the early days of THT’s career when he was still playing his trade in the G League with the South Bay Lakers. Allen was in the audience for one of Talen-Horton Tucker’s games, and after the first few moves, experienced Allen realized that THT has a caliber to go big in the future.
Reacting to his 1st impression, Tony Allen said, “I saw him in the G League and he killed it, He had like 20 at halftime. I’m like, ‘He with us.’ He looked at me and said, ‘I don’t even belong down here.’ … He hit a three next play down, and looked dead at me. I said, ‘that boy real.’”
Picked late in the draft, THT was a fairly new name for Allen, and after watching him play in the G-League game, Allen was impressed by the kid. He went through his profile and was amazed by THT’s birthplace. Smiling on the incident Illinois-born Allen said, “I didn’t know who he was until Ilooked at the brochure and it said he’s from Chicago, Illinois. I’m like, ‘Oh, he from Chicago. My man!’”
It is clear that young Talen-Horton Tucker left quite an impression on his native megastar. While getting praised by former defensive stalwart Allen is no little thing for THT, he still has a lot to learn and grow as a dependable superstar for his team.
Talen-Horton Tucker and Los Angeles Lakers are working hard on the 2023 season.
After winning the 2020 NBA Championship, Los Angeles Lakers looked solid to repeat the “golden era” of the franchise. They had 2 of the best players playing for them, while youngsters were also making great progress in their games. But both their said megastars – LeBron James and Anthony Davis struggled to stay fit in the next 2 seasons and the Lakers looked far from a strong team in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Talen-Horton Tucker though made some big improvements in his game. Though he won the 2020 title with the Lakers, he played in just 2 playoff games with combined 21 minutes on the floor. But in later seasons he proved to be a more reliable option for then coach Frank Vogel, who handed THT more game time and even placed him in starting lineups on a few occasions.
Averaging 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists for the Lakers, THT had the best product in the 2022 season. He looked certain in LA Lakers’ plans, as they are looking to bank on young talent around 37-year-old megastar LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The LA team is yet to make any mega trade to drastically improve their roster, but they have invested in talented youngsters to support their trio of superstars. 17-time NBA Champions looked determined to make a strong push for the title in 2023, but a lot will depend on the health of their “Big-3” and the performances of youngsters like Talen-Horton Tucker.
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Kunal Chawda
(600 Articles Published)