When Allen was at Texas his freshman year, then-Longhorns head coach Shaka Smart would hold meetings with the freshmen regularly. “Sometimes I think it was meant to happen like that.” “This is like sixth grade and I was like, ‘OK,’ and that’s how it started,” Allen said. There was a younger basketball team practicing, and the players invited Allen to join them. Jarrett, who was in middle school at the time, was hanging around one of Leonard’s basketball practices at Round Rock High, outside of Austin, Texes, when he found another gym and decided to check it out. “Just trying to improve stuff like that, who can win at Monopoly? It’s just trying to improve my skill set in anything.”Īllen’s love for exploring even molded his introduction to basketball. “I guess me and my brother were competitive in different ways, not even sports, whether it’s who can eat the most cookies after dinner,” Allen said while laughing. His brother, Leonard, who is three years older than him, also played a critical role. So there’s a lot of things we kind of talk about that kind of fills the gaps because the season is so long.”įrom traveling – he went to Australia and New Zealand this summer as a coach for Basketball Without Borders – to his love of learning, Allen embraces the appreciation for the small things in life.Īllen’s growth mindset was instilled by his parents, Cheryl and Leonard, at a young age. “You can just talk to him about things that I guess you would say a normal basketball player wouldn’t talk about, like reading books. I never cared about anything outside of the Earth. Like the young man got me interested in Mars. But the thing that is really refreshing to me is the stuff that’s off the court that we talk about, like so many things. “He’s always gonna give you his best regardless. “The thing that I love about him is I know what to expect with him on the court,” Lang said. He brought tidbits from what he heard back to Allen. Lang found himself listening to CNN on a drive home one day when a conversation sparked by Allen about Mars left him wanting to know more. I like measuring the stuff out and waiting for the time.”Ĭavaliers assistant coach Antonio Lang, who works with bigs like Allen, Robin Lopez and Evan Mobley, said the 24-year-old isn’t afraid to get into DIY projects at home, too. “I made some ciabatta the other day, homemade ciabatta, this garlic pesto sauce, bacon, tomatoes, chicken, it was a good little meal,” Allen said. But nothing is off limits in his kitchen. He’ll often bake English muffins and Jewish breads like challah and babka from scratch. He experiments with different types of bread. Probably when I’m older and I have the actual space outside to actually create pots, do the little seeds, start the seedlings inside and then when it comes time for growing season – you see I already researched it – move everything outside and get that going.”Īllen is dexterous in the kitchen as well, an interest he developed when he was younger. “ Eventually I want to get into gardening. I like the color green in my house,” Allen said. When Allen’s not on the court, he’s a plant dad of sorts, caring for Monsteras to Parlor Palms, Money Trees, Swedish Ivy and Tulips. He’s the guy who shows up to All-Star weekend wearing a super casual outfit an d asks the media, “What am I supposed to do, wear a $5,000 chain to a game?” He has quickly established himself as one of the NBA’s best defensive bigs, and the Cavaliers rewarded him with a five-year, $100 million contract in August 2021.īut Allen is also just like you and me. “Just try to go out there and try to touch it in some way and try to just enjoy it.”Īllen’s infectious smile and cool swagger have made the 6-foot-11 All-Star a Cavaliers fan favorite. “I love just going through life, just seeing things and learning about it, no matter what it is,” Allen told The Athletic. The comic has shaped the Cleveland Cavaliers center’s outlook on life in more ways than one.
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