Tony Allen holds 3 All-NBA Defensive First Team honors for Memphis.
The Grizzlies have a clear identity as a franchise of being a gritty, defensive-minded team. Acknowledging that, it’s not surprising to see some of their standout defenders receiving accolades, and they have had members in the NBA All-Defense 1st Team five times in franchise history.
Tony Allen – 3 times (2012, 2013, 2015)
Allen was one of the best on-ball defenders in the NBA throughout his 14-year career in the Association, and he spent his prime with the Grizzlies. He played for Memphis between the 2010-11 and 2016-17 seasons, earning several defensive accolades. His first mention to the All-Defense 1st Team came in 2011-12, when he averaged 9.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. Allen also finished in sixth place in the Defensive Player of the Year Award voting that season.
Allen earned back-to-back nods for the All-Defense 1st Team after earning his place in that exclusive quintet in 2012-13 as well. He finished fifth in the voting for the Defensive Player of the Year Award as well. That would end up being the second-highest place he’d end up in the voting throughout his career. Allen missed some time in 2014 but bounced back with another First Team All-Defense nod in 2015. Overall, he accrued five Top 10 finishes in the Defensive Player of the Year race. “The Grindfather” was a driving force during the Grizzlies’ Grit and Grind era.
Jaren Jackson Jr. – 2 times (2022, 2023)
Jackson is making his mark as one of the premier defenders in the league. JJJ has made three All-Defensive teams by the age of 25, including a pair of First-Team nods in 2022 and 2023. Jackson led the league in blocks in both of those seasons, including a career-high 3.0 BPG in 2023. That dominant rim protection earned Jackson his first Defensive Player of the Year award.
On top of being a dominant defender, Jackson is an impactful scorer for the Grizzlies. He has averaged 22.0 or more points in back-to-back seasons going into the 2026 campaign. Jackson shoots 46.6 percent from the floor for his career as well.
