 Allen with thePhiladelphia 76ers in 2013 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1989-02-04)February 4, 1989 (age 36) Trenton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 260 lb (118 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Pennsbury (Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania) |
| College | Temple (2007–2011) |
| NBA draft | 2011: 2nd round, 50th overall pick |
| Selected by thePhiladelphia 76ers | |
| Playing career | 2011–2019 |
| Position | Power forward /center |
| Number | 50, 5 |
| Career history | |
| 2011 | Strasbourg IG |
| 2011–2014 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2014–2017 | Indiana Pacers |
| 2018 | Northern Arizona Suns |
| 2018–2019 | Capital City Go-Go |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Lavoy Allen (born February 4, 1989) is an American former professionalbasketball player. He was selected in the second round, 50th overall pick in the2011 NBA draft by thePhiladelphia 76ers. Allen is the son of a truck driver, and did not play much basketball until eighth grade. He attendedPennsbury High School, where he was coached by Oliver Aaron.Rivals.com ranked him the 14th best center in his class, andScout.com named him the 110th overall prospect. Allen committed toTemple University and coachFran Dunphy.
Temple reached theNCAA tournament in all four seasons that Allen played there. He was a three-time All-Atlantic 10 Defensive Team honoree and a two-time All-Atlantic 10 First Team recipient. In his junior year, he became the first Temple player to average a double-double sinceOllie Johnson accomplished the feat in 1970–71. Allen declared for early entry in the2010 NBA draft, but withdrew prior to the May 8 deadline. As a senior, Allen surpassedJohnny Baum as the all-time leading rebounder in Temple history. He was the recipient of theRobert V. Geasey Trophy honoring thePhiladelphia Big Five Player of the Year. Dunphy has said that Allen "might be the smartest player I've ever coached."[1]
Allen was born inTrenton, New Jersey on February 4, 1989.[2][3] His mother is Paula Allen and his father, Dave Allen, is a truck driver.[1] When he was nine years old, Lavoy moved toMorrisville, Pennsylvania, and struggled to make friends in his new surroundings.[2] He did not play much organized basketball until eighth grade. In an interview, Allen admitted he was not very good in the beginning, and focused on passing the ball to a better teammate.[1] His initial motivation was how schoolchildren mocked him for his height yet not being able to dunk.[4] "I could barely jump over the Sunday paper," he said.[5]
He attendedPennsbury High School, where he was coached by Frank Sciolla.[1] FormerTemple player Dalton Pepper was his high school teammate.[6] In ninth grade, Allen decided that he wanted to be great, and put in much more practice time.[1] He became a starter on the varsity team in his sophomore year.[4] As a junior, he averaged 12points and ninerebounds per game, and was named a Top 150 player in his class by Hoop Scoop.[7]
In his senior season, Allen posted per-game averages of 13 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals.[7] Under Allen, Pennsbury reached the second round of thePIAA playoffs before losing toHarrisburg High School.[8] He was named to the Second Team all-Southeastern Pennsylvania at the conclusion of the season. Allen tried out for the USA U-19 basketball team, but did not make the final cut.Rivals.com ranked him the 14th best center in his class, andScout.com named him the 110th overall prospect.[7] He worked at a day care facility to earn enough money to bring his date to thesenior prom.[5] On November 8, 2006, Allen committed to Temple, over Division I scholarship offers fromRutgers,Saint Joseph's, andLa Salle.[9] Along withDayton signeeChris Wright, Allen was one of two ESPN 100 prospects in the class of 2008 to sign with anAtlantic 10 program.[10]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lavoy Allen Center | Morrisville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania | Pennsbury (PA) | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Aug 11, 2006 | |
Star ratings:Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings:Scout:110 Rivals:14 (C) | ||||||
Sources:
| ||||||
Coming into his freshman season, Allen was selected to the Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Rookie Team.[11] He was seen as an answer for Temple's rebounding and interior scoring struggles from the previous 12–18 season.[12] In his first college basketball game, Allen scored eight points and grabbed nine rebounds in a loss to #7Tennessee. From November 18 through December 9, 2007, he scored in double figures in six consecutive games.[7] On February 10, 2008, Allen's season-high 20 points led Temple to an 80–70 overtime victory over theUMass Minutemen.[13] Allen was benched in the February 17 game againstDayton due to missing a study assignment.[14]
The Owls finished the season 21–13, and made theNCAA tournament for the first time since 2001, receiving a 12 seed by the selection committee. In the first round, they bowed out to fifth-seededMichigan State 72–61.[15] In that game, Allen notched his firstdouble-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, and also drained his first two collegiatethree-pointers. He led the team in blocks with a total of 52, and finished second in field goal percentage (.558), third in rebounds per game (5.7), and fourth in points per game (8.1). Allen was selected to the All-Atlantic 10 Rookie Team.[7]
As a sophomore, Allen increased his scoring average to 10.9 points per game, second on the team, and again led the team in blocks with 1.56 per game. He shot a team-best .579 from the floor, and his .618field goal percentage in league games led the Atlantic 10. In addition, he led the team and finished third in the Atlantic 10 in rebounding with 9.0 rebounds per game. He had 14 double-doubles on the season. In the Owls' game againstLafayette, Allen broke his thumb and was forced to miss the next game againstBuffalo.[7] His season-high 23 points came on February 8, when the Owls defeated theRhode Island Rams 68–62; Allen also had 13 rebounds.[16] The following day, Allen received his firstPhiladelphia Big 5 player of the week honors. He would again be honored as Big 5 player of the week on February 23,[7] following a 20-point and season-high 18 rebound performance againstSt. Bonaventure.[17]
At the end of the regular season, Allen was named to the All-Atlantic 10 Third Team and All-Atlantic 10 Defensive Team.[7] He helped Temple to its second consecutive Atlantic 10 Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance. In the championship game overDuquesne, Allen contributed 10 points and 14 rebounds.[18] He posted 10 points and 11 rebounds againstArizona State in a2009 NCAA tournament round of 64 loss.[7]
Allen was a Preseason All-Atlantic 10 First Team selection in his junior year.[19] He averaged 11.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, becoming the first Temple player to average a double-double sinceOllie Johnson accomplished the feat in 1970–71.[20] Allen's 10.9 rebounds per game average in Atlantic 10 conference games was bested only byFordham'sChris Gaston andDuquesne'sDamian Saunders.[21] In addition, he led Temple in field goal percentage at .536.[7] He scored 10 points and snatched 17 rebounds in the Owls' upset of #3Villanova on December 19.[22] In a 65–53 win over La Salle on February 28, 2010, Allen scored 17 points and grabbed 21 rebounds,[23] a career high and the most by an Owl sinceJoe Newman pulled down 24 on February 5, 1973.[7] With the victory, Temple clinched the Philadelphia Big Five title with a perfect 4–0 record.[23] Allen became the 46th Temple player to score 1,000 points in his career in a game againstGeorge Washington. This earned him Atlantic 10 (co-)player of the week honors for the week of March 7.[7]
Led by Allen, Temple enjoyed a 29–5 season, captured a share of the Atlantic 10 conference regular season championship with a 14–2 record, and culminated in a third consecutiveAtlantic 10 conference tournament title and an automatic bid to theNCAA tournament.[24] In the NCAA Tournament, Temple was seeded fifth and matched up with 12 seedCornell in the first round. Allen had 11 points, but his Owls were upset by the Big Red 78–65.[25] Following the season, Allen was selected to the All-Atlantic 10 First Team and All-Atlantic 10 Defensive Team.[26] He was recognized as an All-Fourth District first-team selection by theNational Association of Basketball Coaches making him eligible for the State Farm Division I All-America teams.[27] Since theAtlantic 10 Conference was its own district, this is equivalent to being named first team All-Atlantic 10 by the NABC.[28] TheU.S. Basketball Writers Association named Allen to the 10-man All-District II team covering college basketball players in the states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware. the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.[29]
Allen briefly flirted with the2010 NBA draft. He declared for early entry in the draft, but did not hire anagent.[20] After one workout with thePortland Trail Blazers, Allen was told to return to school to work on his offensive game.[30] On May 8, Allen officially pulled his name out of consideration for the draft. He did so on the final day allowed by the NCAA to ensure collegiate eligibility.[31]
Allen was named to the 20-man USA Select team, which played with and against the USA National team from July 19-24.[32] Prior to his senior campaign, he was on the preseasonJohn R. Wooden Award andNaismith College Player of the Year watchlists.[33][34] He was a preseason All-Atlantic 10 First Team and Defensive Team selection.[35] On December 6, Allen was named Atlantic 10 co-player of the week after recording back-to-back double-doubles againstCentral Michigan andMaryland, both Temple victories.[36] He sprained his ankle in a game againstFordham on February 9, 2011, and was forced to miss the following game versus theDayton Flyers.[37] In the February 20 game againstSaint Joseph's, Allen became Temple's all-time leader in rebounds. Allen snatched 12 boards to pass Temple radio analystJohnny Baum's career 1,042 rebounds.[38] He received conference player of the week honors for the week of February 28.[39] Allen scored a career-high 24 points to topLa Salle in the regular season finale, earning him Atlantic 10 Player of the Week recognition on March 6.[40]
Temple finished with a 26–8 record in Allen's senior season and earned a berth to the2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. This time, they defeatedPenn State in the round of 64 before falling toSan Diego State in double overtime. Allen had 12 points and 11 rebounds in his final game as a Temple Owl.[41] He was named to the All-Atlantic 10 First Team and Defensive Team at the conclusion of the regular season.[42] Allen was the recipient of theRobert V. Geasey Trophy honoring thePhiladelphia Big Five Player of the Year.[43]
Behind Chris Gaston of Fordham, Allen finished second in conference in rebounding average with an 8.4 mark in league play,[44] and was fifth in the Atlantic 10 in blocks.[45] In addition, he averaged 11.6 points per game, second on the team.[46] For his career, he pulled down 1,147 rebounds and scored 1,421 points, 24th in Temple history.[47] Temple coachFran Dunphy has said that Allen "might be the smartest player I've ever coached in terms of positioning and understanding the game – just his knowledge."[1]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | Temple Owls | 34 | 32 | 29.2 | .558 | .400 | .737 | 5.7 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 8.1 |
| 2008–09 | Temple Owls | 33 | 31 | 31.3 | .579 | .333 | .642 | 9.0 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 10.9 |
| 2009–10 | Temple Owls | 35 | 34 | 34.5 | .536 | .217 | .625 | 10.7 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 11.5 |
| 2010–11 | Temple Owls | 33 | 33 | 33.9 | .480 | .294 | .697 | 8.6 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 11.6 |
On April 1, 2011, Allen participated in the 2011Reese's College All-Star Game held at theReliant Center inHouston, Texas. He contributed 11 points and eight rebounds as his East team lost to the West 113–108.[48]Chad Ford of ESPN said that Allen was the 99th best prospect in the2011 NBA draft.[49] Allen sprained his ankle in a workout with his hometownPhiladelphia 76ers and was forced to miss the next workout with theNew Jersey Nets.[50] The Sixers were not overly concerned with the injury, as they drafted him in the second round with the 50th pick on June 23. Allen became the 32nd Temple product to be drafted and the first since theNew York Knicks selectedMardy Collins with the 29th pick in 2006.[51]
On July 15, 2011, he signed a contract withStrasbourg IG ofFrance'sLNB Pro A.[52] The contract included an opt-out clause when the NBA settled itslockout, set to expire on January 30, 2012.[53] Allen joined former Richmond foesKevin Anderson andJustin Harper on Strasbourg IG.[54] He made his debut on October 7, scoring 10 points and pulling down four rebounds in a 77–74 victory overCholet Basket.[55] The following game, againstSLUC Nancy Basket, he grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds and also added 12 points.[56] Allen's season-high 19 points came on November 10, when Strasbourg IG defeatedChorale Roanne Basket 93–80.[57] In nine games, Allen averaged 10.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.[58]
When the NBA ended its lockout, Allen opted-out of his French contract to sign a contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on December 9, the first day of training camp.[59] Allen made his NBA debut during the 76ers' 97–62 win over theToronto Raptors on January 7, 2012, and grabbed two rebounds.[60] He first saw significant playing time on the January 23 game against theWashington Wizards due to injuries to centersSpencer Hawes andNikola Vucevic. Allen responded by scoring 10 points on 5–5 shooting and pulling down six rebounds en route to a 103–83 victory.[61] He recorded a season-high 15 points on February 1 against theChicago Bulls, and a season-high 12 rebounds against theMilwaukee Bucks on April 25.[62][63] In 41 regular season games and 15 as a starter, Allen averaged 4.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.[64]
Allen raised his averages in the playoffs to 6.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.[64] CoachDoug Collins named him the starting center in the playoff opener against the Bulls.[65] In his first playoff game, Allen sprained his thumb, but the injury was not considered severe.[66] In Game 2 of the series, he nearly posted a double double with 11 points and nine rebounds.[67] The 76ers advanced past the Bulls to face theBoston Celtics in the conference semifinals. Allen hit the "shot of [his] life" to help the 76ers defeat the Celtics 82–81 in the second game of the series. With the score tied and four minutes left,Andre Iguodala passed the ball to Allen, who hit a 22-foot jumper as the shot clock expired. He earned his postseason minutes partially because of his ability to guard Celtics starKevin Garnett.[68] The Sixers pushed the series to seven games, but ultimately lost to the Celtics.
On July 11, 2012, Allen re-signed with the Philadelphia 76ers[69] to a reported two-year, $6 million contract.[64] He missed two days of training camp to attend to his girlfriend, who gave birth to his son Kai on October 4.[70] He started the majority of games for the 76ers in his sophomore season at center due to the absence ofAndrew Bynum. Allen averaged 5.8 points and 5.0 rebounds in his second season with the 76ers.[71]
Allen missed an exhibition game due to a knee injury.[71] He was criticized for missing a practice in October 2013 due to oversleeping.[72] He mainly played backup power forward during the season. Allen missed four games in January 2014 due to a strained right calf.[73] In 51 games, Allen posted averages of 5.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.[5]
On February 20, 2014, Allen andEvan Turner were traded to theIndiana Pacers in exchange forDanny Granger and a second-round draft pick.[74] In eight minutes per game, Allen averaged 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.[75] Allen scored 13 points in a match against the 76ers on March 14 and contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds last game of the regular season versus theOrlando Magic.[76] He married in the summer of 2014.[75]
On July 11, 2014, Allen re-signed with the Pacers.[77] He was most effective earlier in the season due to injuries of other players. He missed a January 31, 2015, game against theSacramento Kings due to a sore knee.[78] Allen mainly played as a backup power forward and averaged 5.0 points and 5.1 rebounds in his first full season with the Pacers and was the Pacers' most active offensive rebounder.[79]
On July 27, 2015, Allen re-signed once again with the Pacers.[80]
In Game 2 of the 2017 NBA playoffs versus theCleveland Cavaliers, Allen inscribed "Go Pacers" of the Cavaliers' home court.[81] In June 2017, the Pacers declined the $3.5 million team option for Allen, which made him an unrestricted free agent.[82]
Allen signed with theZhejiang Golden Bulls in China in November 2017 but never joined the team. In February 2018 he was picked up by theNorthern Arizona Suns of theNBA G League. In his second game on February 11, Allen had 14 points and 12 rebounds. He followed up this performance with 12 points and 12 rebounds the next game. On the season, Allen averaged 9.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, shooting 58.2 percent from the field.[83]
On August 22, 2018, Allen was selected by theCapital City Go-Go of the G League in the 2018 expansion draft.[84] On September 20, 2018, theWashington Wizards signed Allen for training camp.[85] He was waived by the Wizards on October 14,[86] but he was added to the roster of the Wizards’ G League affiliate, theCapital City Go-Go.[87]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | Philadelphia | 41 | 15 | 15.2 | .473 | .000 | .786 | 4.2 | .8 | .3 | .4 | 4.1 |
| 2012–13 | Philadelphia | 79 | 37 | 21.1 | .454 | .000 | .717 | 5.0 | .9 | .3 | .7 | 5.8 |
| 2013–14 | Philadelphia | 51 | 2 | 18.8 | .440 | .154 | .675 | 5.4 | 1.3 | .4 | .5 | 5.2 |
| 2013–14 | Indiana | 14 | 0 | 8.0 | .500 | .000 | .600 | 2.4 | .4 | .1 | .4 | 2.9 |
| 2014–15 | Indiana | 63 | 0 | 17.0 | .472 | .000 | .702 | 5.1 | 1.2 | .2 | .7 | 5.0 |
| 2015–16 | Indiana | 79 | 28 | 20.2 | .516 | .000 | .630 | 5.4 | 1.0 | .3 | .5 | 5.4 |
| 2016–17 | Indiana | 61 | 5 | 14.3 | .458 | .000 | .697 | 3.6 | .9 | .3 | .4 | 2.9 |
| Career | 388 | 87 | 17.8 | .471 | .133 | .682 | 4.8 | 1.0 | .3 | .6 | 4.8 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Philadelphia | 12 | 1 | 19.7 | .557 | .000 | .583 | 4.9 | .3 | .8 | .9 | 6.3 |
| 2014 | Indiana | 4 | 0 | 3.8 | .500 | .000 | .000 | 1.3 | .3 | .0 | .0 | 1.0 |
| 2016 | Indiana | 6 | 3 | 8.5 | .300 | .000 | .000 | 2.3 | .3 | .2 | .2 | 1.0 |
| Career | 22 | 4 | 13.7 | .520 | .000 | .583 | 3.5 | .3 | .5 | .5 | 3.9 | |
