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Tony Allen says LeBron James' fans cyberbullied him into a truce: "I don't want no smoke"
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- Tony Allen says LeBron James' fans cyberbullied him into a truce: "I don't want no smoke"
Tony Allen built his reputation by fearlessly taking on the NBA's greatest stars, whether it was Kobe Bryant or LeBron James . Throughout his career, the "Grindfather" never backed down from anyone.
However, his fearless mentality and confidence took an unexpected turn after Allen admitted he regretted publicly belittling King James, following the relentless backlash he received from the latter's fans.
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Not only did he make it clear that he doesn't wish to harbor any ill will, but he admitted that he underestimated just how passionate and loyal LBJ's supporters are, saying he never expected them to heckle him online in such a manner,
"I didn't know LeBron James was that heavy in media, boy. I promise you I don't want no smoke. Aye, man, tell them truce little bruce," Allen said on 'To The Baha' podcast. "Damn, they was on my head."
https://www.youtube.com/live/EjHZIZUzP-I?si=CcYHYirEyO9vXe-C&t=1955
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What did Tony Allen say about King James?
The controversy began during his guest appearance on "The Chris Vernon Show," where Allen questioned LeBron's defensive reputation, even during his prime. According to Allen, James was often the player opponents "hunted" and targeted defensively, and thus it is only fitting that such a player never won the DPOY award.
Tony went as far as to claim that had Marc Gasol not won the DPOY honor in 2013, he deserved the trophy more than the four-time MVP.
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Thus, Allen urged that the notion of LBJ being "robbed" of the DPOY award in 2013 should be put to rest.
"Yo, Bron, stop it, bro. You ain't ever had to check nobody, bro," Allen said . "He was saying he could've got Marc Gasol's award. Cool, let me pull up a seat on something. When Marc won that award, everybody asked me that summer why I didn't get that award. Man, I didn't think not one time LeBron deserved that. If Marc didn't get it, I should've got it."
LeBron fans knew the truth
While even LeBron's biggest fans would not deny that his defensive impact and intensity have declined over the last few years for obvious reasons, there is far less argument when it comes to his prime.
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During the 2012-13 season, King James was one of the league's most impactful defenders, capable of guarding every position out on the floor.
The voting reflected how incredibly close he was to winning the DPOY award when Marc Gasol won the award with 212 points, while James finished second with 149. Serge Ibaka came in third with 129 points.
The controversy ignited once when the NBA revealed its All-Defensive Team. On the one hand, James was a First Team selectee; Gasol was named to the second team, while Tyson Chandler and Joakim Noah both received nods to the First Team.
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Some believed that the team's defensive rating played a huge role in helping Gasol win the award, as the Memphis Grizzlies boasted the second-best rating of 99.1, second only to the Indiana Pacers ' 99.0, but it was LeBron whose individual stats were better.
Not only did he average more steals per game than Marc, but LeBron also logged 6.8 defensive rebounds per game compared to Marc's 5.5.
Perhaps that is why LBJ fans were so loud in their online heckling, resulting in TA raising the white flag, asking for a truce, and admitting that being on the receiving end of a major wave of cyberbullying was overwhelming.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Aug 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
