Milwaukee Bucks guard Grayson Allen sparked outrage this past week after committing a particularly dangerous foul against Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso.
Midway through the third quarter of their game, Caruso caught a pass and prepared to take it to the hole for a contested layup. Rather than give up the easy score, Allen grabbed him and threw him – violently.
Allen was promptly ejected, but the damage was done. Caruso suffered a wrist fracture and will now be out six to eight weeks.
A day later, the NBA suspended Allen for one game over the move.
This past week Allen appeared on his own personal Discord channel and attempted to clear the air about what transpired.
“Also to this point. I stood at half court watching till he got up till see if he was okay,” he wrote. “Then when I was back by our bench, a teammate made a joke and I laughed. I wasn’t laughing at the foul.
“It was very unfortunate how it played out. I jumped to block it with my left, and as I’m spinning, went to grab the ball with my right hand not throw him down. It was a really hard fall and I’m glad he’s okay. If I could do the play over again knowing he’d fall like that I wouldn’t make the play.”
There are two issues here. One, Allen has a history of pulling these sorts of dirty moves. This wasn’t an isolated incident. Two, the victim of this particular instance just so happens to be one of the most beloved players in the NBA. Literally, he’s quite often referred to as the best teammate in the league.
That’s why the backlash has been so severe.
It will be interesting to see how Allen is regarded the rest of his career.
There’s a certain point where your apologies stop meaning anything, and the former Duke standout may have just reached that point.
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