Grayson Allen

Grayson James Allen (born October 8, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He has often been called one of Duke's best players of the 2010s.

In 2014, Allen was selected as a McDonald's All-American out of Providence School in Jacksonville, Florida, where he won a state championship the previous year.

He won the McDonald's All-American Slam Dunk Contest, jumping over future Duke teammate Jahlil Okafor.

During Allen's freshman season at Duke, he averaged 4.4 points per game and was named to the ACC all-academic team.

Allen became a major contributor in the NCAA tournament.

He played four years of college basketball at Duke University, where he helped Duke win a national championship in 2015.

On April 7, 2015, he helped Duke to victory in the NCAA championship game, scoring 16 points.

After the game, commentators cited Allen as one of the main reasons for Duke's win.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski agreed, saying, "We were kind of dead in the water. We were nine points down and Grayson just put us on his back."

Allen received national attention following an incident during a game against Louisville Cardinals.

During the 2015–16 season, Allen was one of the best offensive players in the ACC, averaging 21 points per game and shooting 41% from three-point range.

He played an average of 36.6 minutes per game and made 83.7% of his free throws.

In the NCAA Tournament, Allen scored 29 points in Duke's 71–64 win over Yale, helping the team to reach the Sweet Sixteen.

The team lost its next game to top-seeded Oregon, 82–68; Allen had difficulty scoring near the basket during that game, finishing with 15 points.

Entering his junior season, Allen was considered one of the top returning players in college basketball.

He was named to the Associated Press preseason All-America team and was the ACC media's pick as preseason ACC Player of the Year.

On February 8, 2016, Allen was assessed a flagrant-one foul after he tripped Louisville forward Ray Spalding.

Commentators said the move appeared to be intentional, as Allen stuck out his leg while on the ground as Spalding was hopping over him.

In Duke's second game against Louisville, Allen exchanged elbows while scuffling for the ball and was later ejected for yelling at a referee after being called for his fifth foul.

On February 25, in the closing seconds of a 15-point win against Florida State, Allen tripped opposing guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes.

A day later, Allen received a reprimand from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) for his second tripping incident in less than a month.

On November 12, 2016, Allen scored 25 points and 10 rebounds in a 96–61 win over Grand Canyon.

On November 29, 2016, Allen scored 24 points and 4 assists in a 78–69 win against Michigan State in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

On December 10, 2016, Allen tallied 34 points in a 94–45 victory over UNLV.

During the 2016–2017 season, Allen averaged 14.5 points per game and shot 36.5% from three-point range.

He averaged 29.6 minutes per game and shot 81.1% from the free-throw line.

Duke reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where the team was upset by South Carolina; Allen scored 20 points in the defeat.

On January 28, 2017, Allen scored 19 points in an 85–83 win against Wake Forest.

On January 30, 2017, Allen scored 21 points and 5 assists in an 84–74 victory over Notre Dame.

On February 4, 2017, Allen scored 21 points in a 72–64 win against Pittsburgh.

On February 9, 2017, Allen scored 25 points and 3 assists in an 86–78 win over rival North Carolina.

Prior to the start of the season, Allen stated that he was ready to put the previous season's tripping incidents behind him.

However, on December 21, he tripped Elon's Steven Santa Ana and was charged with a technical foul.

The next day, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski suspended Allen from the team indefinitely.

After Duke's December 31 game, Krzyzewski stripped Allen of his team captaincy.

Allen returned to play on January 4, 2017 after serving a one-game suspension.

On April 18, 2017, it was announced Allen would return to Duke for his senior season.

Allen was drafted with the 21st overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz, where he played for one season before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in July 2019.

In August 2021, Allen was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, where he played for two seasons before being traded to the Suns in September 2023.