ORLANDO — Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen could have easily just bought a bookshelf. As a multimillionaire, it was easy to purchase the best of the best pre-installed. But what was easy would’ve taken all the fun out of it for Allen.
So, the 6-foot-9 center with no woodworking experience just made it himself.
“I built a piece of furniture with some walnut plywood and oiled it,” Allen told Andscape after the Cavaliers’ 122-82 blowout win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday. “I had the measuring tape, got power tools and I’m on the ground cutting these things out. It was a fun experience. I downloaded some woodworking plans I saw online. So, I’m studying the plans before I go to the woodshop. And I’ll just cut the board in half and do the rest.
“I actually went to an actual wood store, not Home Depot. I went in and just explored. That is just something I enjoy. And not even like the woodwork, just doing anything different. Just exploring, just trying to see what the world has to offer.”
Whether it’s on the basketball court for the Cavaliers or off the court, Allen has been unique.
Allen, the anchor of the defense of the Cavaliers, averages 13.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game while shooting 70.7% from the field. The Eastern Conference’s leader in shooting percentage is on pace to shoot over 60% for the sixth straight season. Cleveland has the best record in the NBA (48-10), one of the most intimidating twin towers in the league in Allen and 6-foot-11 NBA All-Star forward Evan Mobley, and a dynamic All-Star backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.
Even so, the Cavaliers considered trading Allen this past offseason due to concerns that he and Mobley couldn’t co-exist on the court. Having being traded once before from the Brooklyn Nets to Cleveland in 2021, Allen knew being traded is always possible in the NBA.
“I understand the business of all this. I understand that people are going to make moves to try to elevate the team however they feel possible,” Allen said. “And if I wasn’t part of that plan, so be it. I’ve been a part of the Brooklyn trade that brought James Harden to Brooklyn. So, I’m not saying I’m numb to it. But I understand how things go.”
First-year Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson was adamant about keeping Allen whom he had previously coached with the Nets. That endorsement has proved positive for the Cavaliers.
“There was some talk before the season of whether these two bigs can work together, J.A. [Allen] and Evan,” Atkinson said. “We had the discussions. We talked about it. I believed it could work because I knew [Allen’s] skillset. I also knew how important a versatile lineup is in the playoffs. So, me and J.A. talked about it.”
Said Allen on not being traded: “I was happy. I really mesh well with these guys. It’s just a good group to be around.”
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Atkinson added that it took a while for him to get to know Allen. Those that have known Allen since childhood also know that he has always been comfortable in his own skin and has never fallen for peer pressure. He gives credit to his father, former San Diego State star center Leonard Allen, for teaching him to unapologetically beat by his own drum.
Leonard Allen was drafted out of San Diego State in the third round (50th overall) of the 1986 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks. The 6-foot-10 center didn’t make the team during two separate tryouts, but did play professionally in Spain. A 1986 Los Angeles Times story stated that the Port Arthur, Texas, native was a happy-go-lucky man who loved to watch cartoons and drink orange juice, giggled under his breath when pondering and answering questions and grew into an avid reader and music lover after college.
“He is somebody that’s not shy to be himself in the most goofy, worst way possible and in the best way,” Jarrett Allen said about his father. “He’s one of those guys, he’s never met a stranger. And I want to be like that. It tough to get to that level of him, but he is a good dude…
“I know for me growing up, everybody wants to be the cool guy. Everybody wants to be the flashy guy who gets to a certain standard. But once I realized that I’m happy with who I am and I can just still have fun and still be around great people, it just got a lot easier.”
For much of his NBA career with Cleveland and Brooklyn, Allen’s eccentric ways were only known by his loved ones and teammates. Allen once built a computer — yes, a computer — from scratch. Allen also built “a mid-century modern TV stand.” He has taught himself to sew and crochet. YouTube has often been his guide in projects.
“If I see an interest, a project, I’ll just try my hand at it,” Allen said. “The worst thing that can happen is you just mess up and try again. I just look on YouTube, look online. Just read articles. It’s just interesting to see what I’m capable of doing.
“That is just something I enjoy. Just doing anything different, exploring, trying to see what the world has to offer.”
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Allen isn’t a stereotypical pro athlete or celebrity who owns numerous cars. He said he just has one car: a Tesla Model X custom built for his extraordinary height. When time permits in the offseason, he likes to take his car for long rides.
“I have had my Tesla that I’ve had for five, six years now,” Allen said. “I go on road trips with it. I take it all across the country. That’s my baby. They have electric outlets are all over the country, all over the highways. It’s super.”
One of Allen’s most visibly unique traits is his outstanding afro, a hairstyle more widely worn by pro basketball players in the 1970s and 1980s. In Cleveland, Allen has earned the nickname “The Fro,” and the Cavaliers media team sent out a media kit with shampoo, conditioner and a pick in hopes of selling Allen as an NBA All-Star candidate in 2022.
“I rarely cut it. I don’t put too much care in. I wake up, pick it out and go to work,” Allen said. “I don’t put oils in it, nothing. Just use the shampoo, conditioner and then I just go on with my day.”
The All-Star campaign worked as Allen made his lone NBA All-Star appearance in 2022 in Cleveland. While NBA All-Stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jaren Jackson Jr. were commended for their fashion during that All-Star Weekend, Allen was clowned on social media for being very casually dressed in a tan non-descript hoodie and black jeans while watching the Rising Stars Challenge.
“It’s funny. I thought I was OK. What was I supposed to wear? A $5,000 chain to a game. That is a casual outfit I felt comfortable in. So be it,” an undeterred Allen said at that time with a smile during 2022 NBA All-Star media availability.
Allen also said that the clothes he wore were from American Tall, a clothing brand designed specifically for tall men and women. American Tall is based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and was started by a father and son in 2015. American Tall responded to criticism of Allen by signing him to an endorsement deal.
In a statement in 2022, American Tall wrote: “At 6’10”, Jarrett knows the tall struggle to find clothes that fit and feel right. So, we curated a collection of winning looks that complement his personal style. From courtside, to date night, to casual weekend wear – no more jumping through hoops to land the perfect fit.”
“So, I actually [had] been buying their clothes for like six, seven years now,” Allen said. “And then during [2022] All-Star, people were clowning me for my outfit. You’ve probably seen the picture. And that was all American Tall. I thought I was dressed nice. I’m not dressed as flashy as everybody else and up to their standard.
“And just a year later, I just reached out to them just to try to get my outfits better. They were super-reciprocal. They brought me up to their warehouse and toured it in Mississauga, Canada. I got to go up there, eat lunch with them. Genuinely some great people that just run the store for tall people.”
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So, what is Allen’s latest challenge?
The former University of Texas star wants to build a home on land he plans to purchase in Austin, Texas. No architect needed. He is designing the floor plans by himself.
“I’m trying to design a forever home,” Allen said. “I don’t know why I have so many interests and then now architecture. I’m trying to figure out how to draw the floor plan, what the house is going to look like, how it’s going to be on the site and everything. And just try to make it specific to my future needs.
“I’m looking to buy the land. But making sure I can build what I want on there so it’s perfect.”
What Allen and the Cavaliers are trying to also do is build a championship team back in Cleveland.
Led by LeBron James, the Cavaliers went to the NBA Finals in 2007, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 and won their lone championship in 2016. Today’s Cavaliers believe they have the talent on both ends of the floor to bring another title to Cleveland.
Next up for the Cavs is the reigning champion Boston Celtics on the road tonight (ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET).
“It’s different. Everybody understands that we’re fighting for something. Everybody’s locking in to another degree,” Allen said about the Cavs’ mentality. “Shout out to Evan. He’s taking a huge step to lead us this in that direction. Darius is coming back after breaking his jaw. He gone on to [show] the All-Star, All-NBA player that he is.
“And we just all have a common goal in mind. We’re willing to all sacrifice.”
As the Cavaliers continue to rise, more and more NBA fans will become familiar with Allen’s story. He hopes to be an inspiration to kids who may be struggling with being different than society’s norm.
“Just trust yourself,” Allen said. “Just be who you are. It makes it a lot easier when you can go out and be yourself and be accepted for all of that than try to fit in the mold. As LeBron said, ‘Don’t fit in, fit out.’ Just be yourself and have fun. That’s going to take you a lot farther in this league than you can imagine.
“I’ve always been an outlier, so to speak, with every team I’ve been on. But I just feel that if you’re confident in who you are, people will respect you for that and just accept you for who you are.”