NBA Defensive Player of the Year candidate Tony Allen has officially waved the white flag after finding himself on the wrong end of a massive backlash from LeBron James‘ fan base.
Speaking on To The Baha podcast, Allen said that he underestimated how large and vocal LeBron James’ supporters are, joking that he wanted no part of an online war.
“Like I said, man, I did not know LeBron James was that heavy in the media. Boy, I promise you, I don’t want no smoke. I’m coming on the white flag right now, man. Tell all this… what y’all call them? The Bronsexuals. Hey, man. Hey, hey, hey, hey, tell them truce, Lil Bruce. Since they so motherf***ing deep, we see how deep they is. Damn, they was on my head. They was on my head, bro.”
His comments come just days after he made headlines by strongly criticizing LeBron’s belief that he should have won the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year award over Marc Gasol.
During an appearance on The Chris Vernon Show, Allen dismissed the idea that James was a great defensive player and said that if Gasol had not won the award, he deserved it more than LeBron.
Allen claimed that LeBron’s reputation as an excellent defender is based largely on chase-down blocks rather than consistently shutting down opposing stars. Allen even challenged fans to identify a superstar that LeBron consistently locked down defensively during a particular season.
And as expected, those comments spread like wildfire across social media, starting a massive debate between supporters of both players.
LeBron fans flooded social media defending the four-time NBA champion’s defensive resume, posting highlights, clips, and criticism of Allen, which forced him to take a much lighter tone during his latest podcast appearance.
While Allen’s surrender might have been a joke, it highlighted how passionate LeBron’s fan base remains even after two decades in the NBA.
The debate itself has existed for years. LeBron finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting twice during his career, behind Dwight Howard in 2009 and Marc Gasol in 2013.
While he had no realistic chance against Dwight Howard, many believe that 2013 was his best opportunity to finally win the award, as he anchored the Miami Heat’s defense during one of the best seasons of his career.
Gasol ended up winning the award despite being named to the All-Defensive Second Team, while Tyson Chandler earned First Team honors at center. That voting outcome has continued to generate discussion among NBA fans.
Allen, meanwhile, built a reputation as one of the greatest perimeter defenders of his generation. A six-time All-Defensive selection, he spent years taking on the toughest assignments and played a major role in the “Grit and Grind” era in Memphis alongside Marc Gasol.
Even though Allen disagreed with LeBron’s stance on the 2013 race, his latest comments show that he would rather end this online feud than continue it. At least for now, the Grindfather appears ready to call a truce. Whether LeBron’s fans accept the peace offering is another question entirely.
