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Episode 12 - Antonio Allison
198 Plays2 years ago
Antonio Allison is a professional basketball player in The Basketball League. We talked about childhood dreams, and finding the courage to keep chasing them down despite setbacks and challenges along the way.
Follow him on Instagram @datb0y_tone
You can watch him play at thebasketballleague.net
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Transcript
00:00:10
Speaker
Hello
Introduction to Tony Allison
00:00:11
Speaker
and welcome to What's Next. I'm Joel and this is my show. Today I'm sharing my conversation with Tony Allison. Tony is a professional basketball player in the basketball league. I first met Tony when he was just 13 years old through a youth program at an organization called Breakthrough located on the west side of Chicago.
00:00:29
Speaker
which was just around the corner from where Tony grew up.
Joel's Filmmaking Journey Begins
00:00:33
Speaker
When I first started coming around Breakthrough, I was 23 years old and just starting my career in filmmaking and I was brand new to life in the big city.
00:00:45
Speaker
I was invited to help out on a documentary project at Breakthrough, and I jumped in, in spite of all my uncertainty about whether or not I would really be able to connect with these kids. There was a massive cultural gap between us. I was more than intimidated by these inner city kids who could talk circles around me all day long.
00:01:06
Speaker
But they really just welcomed me in. And the time we shared together on that project became the basis for a few really important friendships that have lasted now for over 15 years, including my friendship with Tony.
00:01:21
Speaker
After the conversation with Tony and just editing it down for this episode, I kind of find it to be generally true in my experience that even when I don't feel like I know what the hell I'm doing or that I deserve to be there, the most important thing is to just show up and do what I can and be myself and that when I do that, I'm always surprised by what's on the other side of that.
00:01:48
Speaker
And so I'm really excited to share this conversation with you. So please enjoy my conversation with Tony Allison.
Tony's Move and Basketball Career
00:02:03
Speaker
Do I got to put my camera? I want to put my camera on. Make it look legit, legit. The camera helps for our conversation, but I'm actually not recording it. It's just for the audio. Oh, okay. That's just recording audio. But the camera is helpful for sure because then I can see your face, man. So Tony, how are you, man? What's going on? Man, I'm good out here at Oklahoma, man.
00:02:32
Speaker
This is a whole different city, a whole different environment, so I'm getting used to it. It's there. Okay, so you moved down to Oklahoma City, right? Oklahoma City or is it a different city? Yeah, it's actually El Reno. It's like 45, maybe 35 minutes from Oklahoma City.
00:02:55
Speaker
Okay. And let's just start then with what are you doing down there? Like what brought you down there? I mean, I know, but for the listener. Okay. I'm here because I ended up getting a professional contract.
00:03:08
Speaker
For basketball, I play for the TBL. It's called the basketball league. It's been going on for about three years I know so far. And it's been sprouting up very big. A couple of players from last year went to the G League. They have a few players.
00:03:27
Speaker
one who plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder. And I'm from Oklahoma playing there. So that's definitely a big thing. But yeah, it's a big lead that helps people get to the journey that they really wants to go to for basketball. So right now, yeah, I'm on a professional contract. I just got traded. I'm still in Oklahoma.
00:03:55
Speaker
I play for the Panthers. At first I was with the Enid Outlaws, and now I play for the Panthers in Oklahoma. Okay. Oh, so they're in the same area? Yes. Okay, cool. That's awesome. And how long ago did you move
Challenges in Basketball
00:04:10
Speaker
down there? Like I saw on Instagram you were playing for this team, but I didn't realize all the details around it. About four weeks ago, I made the tryout in January.
00:04:24
Speaker
he gave me the details of the rookie training camp. So I had to do the whole rookie training camp. It was about 20, 30 guys. And I'm like, I'm the shortest one here. I'm like, how am I going to be able to fit? But you know, I'm from Chicago. I got definitely that heart mentality. And I ended up making a rookie training camp, going into the veterans training camp.
00:04:50
Speaker
some guys are already into contract already. So just me coming from rookie training camp, I just had to give them all. Yeah. End up making it. Got a contract to play on the team.
00:05:07
Speaker
That's really been all I've been striding since day one. So the training camp is almost like an extended tryout. You keep working in the training camp and then they fill their roster from the training camp. Yeah. So they was looking for a certain amount of people to be on a team. They had about eight that already was on a team and they looking for more to fill in. So starting from that trial.
00:05:33
Speaker
And making it now going to the training camp, it was like, okay, this guy is a nice fit for the team. He's a point guard. He communicate well. I feel like he could be a great access to this team. Let me challenge him more. Let me bring him to veteran's camp to see how he played with professionals. And that carried on.
00:05:55
Speaker
Yeah. That's so cool. Okay. Let me just back up a little bit. I know that basketball has been a huge part of your life for a long time. I've known you for 15 plus years now. And, uh, so how old are you now? You're 28. Yeah. Okay. 28. So you were, you know, I think you were like 13 years old and something like that baby face. There's a great picture of us where we both look like babies back then. Yeah.
00:06:19
Speaker
Um, but you were always into basketball, which is what, you know, most kids who grow up in East Garfield park, like basketball is it, but you know, after graduating high school, you kept pursuing basketball. Like, you know, you're, you're, I always see on Instagram these, like your workouts and how hard you're working and, and.
00:06:39
Speaker
Yeah, I took a whole different route than the regular route. Yeah, it's been nonstop for you. Like you've kept pushing and pursuing basketball, trying to better yourself and get better and better and better. But when did this route of the basketball league become apparent to you and become the thing that you were pursuing or chasing down?
00:07:00
Speaker
To be honest with you, I didn't even know I was gonna make it this far. I was mad, cause you know, the whole route of not playing high school basketball and then right after high school basketball, it took me two and a half years to actually play college ball. So to make it at this point is crazy. And like, I thank every day for this. Wait, you didn't play high school? I didn't play high school.
00:07:30
Speaker
Why did you not play in high school? For one, we had this game. It was a preseason game. So I played in the preseason, like the little exposition games where you play different high schools to get ready for the season. Was this freshman year or when was this? This was freshman year. OK. And the coach loved me. We played.
00:07:53
Speaker
I believe it was Kiri or Simeon. I forgot the name of this guy. He's well known. He came into the high school being this top guy. I think his name was Cliff or something like that. He was the top guy.
00:08:05
Speaker
And we played on freshman year, we lost, but to go against him, I put up like 30 points and the coach was like, man, I want you to play for us. I want you to play for us. But then for me, it took like the hard part that fell on me where reality hit was just the schoolwork.
00:08:25
Speaker
I was the guy that was like, what was the point of school? I know this stuff, but why I have to do it? You know, questioning life. You young at the age, questioning it. So I end up with like some Ds and Cs and didn't reach that point of the GPA level that they wanted me to be to. And my pops really got mad at me about that. And the consequences of it was
00:08:54
Speaker
Oh, since you don't want to get your grades, right? I guess basketball is not going to be in your life. That's what your dad said. Yeah. And I didn't play basketball. I hold, I hold it a big grudge against my pops. It transferred over to sophomore year, to junior year. And when I really wanted to play senior year, my uncle passed away and his funeral was the same day as the tryouts.
00:09:22
Speaker
And he wanted me to make tryouts so bad, but that pass away was like so heavy on my heart that I didn't even go to tryouts. I went to his funeral. So I didn't play that senior year. Huh. Wow. For sophomore year and junior year, was it almost like you were going to not play just to show your dad that it didn't bother you kind of thing? It was that, but it's more so like, since I'm not playing basketball,
00:09:47
Speaker
I can hang out with some guys. I can hang out with them. I got like good chemistry with people from the school and from the area East Garfield Park. So mostly after school, I go to East Garfield Park, hang with the guys and play some balls sometime here and there. But it wasn't really a focus because once he told me that I wasn't going to be able to play ball, it was like, OK.
00:10:15
Speaker
I took a couple months to take it in. But afterwards, I was like, it is
Impact of Mentoring and Support
00:10:22
Speaker
what it is. I'm a high schooler. I finally got time to be away from my family. So we met at Breakthrough. And do you remember Seth? Yeah, I remember Seth. That first year that we really got to know each other was that documentary film project that we did when you weren't even in high school yet.
00:10:43
Speaker
Yeah, man, that was the best experience ever. I congratulate you for doing that. That was something I did not know exist in life. Oh, man, that's so cool. And it was awesome, man. Well, that was really life-changing for me, too. So it's mutual. The way you guys welcomed me in and just were open to what I was doing and to what we were doing as a group.
00:11:09
Speaker
with that project and my world was totally expanding at that point. I had traveled a bit around the world and all of that, but I had not. I didn't know what big city life was like. I didn't know what inner city life was like. I didn't know anything in terms of the context that was relevant to how we got to know each other.
00:11:29
Speaker
And you had a vision. You had a vision. Yeah, tried to. But Seth invited me into that. And I remember there was a moment you guys were playing and Seth pointed you out to me. And he's like, that kid right there, Tony, that's the best basketball player I've ever seen at his age. Get out of here. Yeah. Oh, man. He said it's going to be really cool to see what he does.
00:11:56
Speaker
You know, to fast forward now and see how you've been continuing to pursue it and live up to that talent that you have is really, really cool to see. And I'm really excited to talk with you about that. And even just now in the first five minutes of this conversation, I'm learning stuff I didn't know.
00:12:15
Speaker
which I feel like I should have known because we had a relationship back then. But so how did your relationship with your dad, like what was going on inside of you when you said, all right, I'm just not going to play basketball, then what else did you think you were going to do? To be honest, I didn't have a passion for anything. It was like whatever come at me, come at me, especially after my pops told me that I wasn't going to be able to play basketball for high school.
00:12:43
Speaker
And as a kid, you hold that grudge in here. You hold that grudge in and be like, man, I don't like you. It's just something about you. But that's my pop. So I had to really respect that because I am in his household. He feeds me. He buy me clothes. So it was still a respect thing. But to hold that grudge and be like, nah, man, I don't know what you're doing right now, but I'm not feeling it.
00:13:12
Speaker
And it took a while for me and my pops to be able to come to agreement with things because also that's my pops. He definitely teach me a lot about the lifestyle of definitely growing up in Chicago and just being an adolescent at that age, learning to become a man. I definitely still had to follow certain things that he led as a father.
00:13:42
Speaker
as a family provider, all of that. You mean like specific lessons about becoming a man? Yep, just becoming a man and when you're in a certain situation in life, how do you go about it? Especially if it's not working in your favor. I'll give you two examples from how the basketball situation happened in high school.
00:14:03
Speaker
He told me I didn't make it. I spazzed out. I wanted it. I hit walls. I'm crying to my mom. I'm telling everybody, forget y'all. Just having that image and putting that out to the world, like saying, I don't care. And now you could put a different situation of me, let's say me not making a TBL league.
00:14:32
Speaker
Should I be able to have that same reaction that I had was a look here or should I now becoming a man be more, how can I say, more professional with it as far as me coming up like, man, I appreciate you for your time. Is it a way you could tell me how my game was all around? And for coaches like,
00:15:00
Speaker
In a professional side, they tell you things. They tell you the good about yourself. They tell you the bad and things you need to fix on. And now just becoming a man at the age I am, I take those lessons as a way of getting better. It's not necessarily like a failure or a loss. It's more like as a lesson because life still continues. Yeah. Yeah.
00:15:24
Speaker
Like one bad thing happens, it's okay. Life still continues. So when you didn't make the league initially, rather than just accepting that the door was closed and getting angry, you responded by continuing to develop the relationships you had with people in the league to see if there was still another options available to you or other avenues available to you? Yes. Yes. Yes. Because last year, I definitely tried out for the same team and I didn't make it.
00:15:53
Speaker
And to be able to, it was a different coach too. And to be able to tell him like, Hey man, I appreciate your time and what things that I did bad. Like that was bold for me at that time because I was still learning the basketball side. I didn't want the emotions to come out. And for me to be able to come up to him, man to man and talk would be like, I want to be better as a basketball player.
00:16:20
Speaker
And I know based off your resume, just coming to you would be the perfect way of strengthening my game, my game style, my mind, keep my mind sharp for the game of basketball. And that growth definitely helped because it gave me the opportunity right now. Yeah. So that's the best part about it.
00:16:40
Speaker
When did basketball become the thing that you wanted to do? And when did you recognize that you had some skills that were maybe unique to you? Not everybody around you your age had those same kind of skills.
Community Leagues and Skill Development
00:16:56
Speaker
It came to me in the community, East Garfield Park. Not knowing that I did, did not play high school basketball, I found my
00:17:10
Speaker
comfort around the community. They had little tournaments going on, and that was my way of still getting my exercise and playing basketball. So you continued to play through high school just in the local neighborhood stuff? Yep, yep. And my first coach that I ever had was Dave Breckhiser. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, Dave Breckhiser. And he gave me that confidence
00:17:33
Speaker
He gave you that confidence as a little kid. He said, man, can't nobody guard you out here, Antonio. He said, man, do these guys dirty. That was the go-mo right there. To have Dave break house and tell you that, Dave is the nicest man alive. He's the nicest man alive. After him to tell me that, it was like, okay, it's go time.
00:18:01
Speaker
and I turned them like a whole Dragon Ball Z moment. So wait, how old were you at that point? Ooh, man, I don't know. That was either eighth grade or high school right after the tryout. Okay, so was this like in the Breakthrough League? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. This is the Breakthrough League that they had every year. So you were still allowed to play that.
00:18:29
Speaker
Just not high school. Okay. Okay. No, it was still like high school, you know, high school players. There's not on no basketball team, you know, just community people that wanted to play in a tournament. That, that moment right there was like the change of my career in basketball. Really? So what shifted for you in that, like, what was it, you know, you felt Dave's belief in you and so you were able to believe in yourself or like what happened?
00:18:55
Speaker
It was that and to be able to have access to play basketball every weekend, like to play basketball every weekend and to know you have a game. It's like everything you prepare Friday night for Saturday morning basketball. And to be able to have that opportunity and you playing with the same people and you go have a game plan, you in a huddle,
00:19:23
Speaker
And they setting out plays for you is like, man, this is, this is real. Especially as a little kid, you know, that now it's like, that's something simple, but as a little kid and you understanding that it's like, whoa, I want to learn everything about it. You tell me this when I'm in a game, I'm going to do this. I'm going to do that. Oh snap. I got a rebound. Everything is working. It's a plan based off the, uh, the mission you gave us. Yeah. And that's when I knew like,
00:19:53
Speaker
I can get used to this. And just having that freedom and access to basketball in the community and having so many peers amongst you, it blew, like it blown up that growth. Yeah. And since I was in the afterschool program of Breakthrough, I was able to get homework done there.
00:20:18
Speaker
And to be able to have the free time afterwards to play basketball. So just to be able to have them two going at the same time and flowing good, it helps me in high school. So I was able to graduate on time, actually find a college that was okay for me to be able to go to
00:20:39
Speaker
Okay. So what happened with high school, like with the love coming from, from having the league, the breakthrough league, did you, I'm curious why it did not spark in you like, okay, I'm just going to get over this, get my grades up and play in high school. It was just at the age he put a fear into me as him. Like, I don't know if I really wanted to play basketball. I found it, I found it in the community, but
00:21:08
Speaker
I wanted to play high school ball in the Chicago public schools and going into sophomore year, I was like, man, do I really want to play? So I didn't really have that confidence to take it into the high school because of the fear. Because you miss freshman year? Because I miss freshman year and I was like, man, what if I don't
00:21:29
Speaker
past these classes and whatever I don't. So you thought it might get taken away from you. Yes. And then I was still hanging out with the same guys. So it was like I was focused, but I wasn't focused because at the school I go back to the block, hang out with a couple guys, get home late. Now I got to do homework. So I was like mixing with everything. Yeah. Not really firm or focused on one goal.
00:21:58
Speaker
Like I love the game of basketball, but at the same time after school, having the love and excitement being around the guys definitely took a hold also. So I wasn't really like focusing at that moment on basketball. I was just enjoying the time of
00:22:16
Speaker
be able to go outside. Yeah. But were you getting into stuff? I don't remember. Oh, no. I was around the guys, but we was young. So at that time, we was like, what, 15, 16, young, just wanted to be outside, saw females. That was our E to start hanging out more.
00:22:40
Speaker
and hang out with females. I remember one time you and me and Nick were driving somewhere. I don't know what we were doing. Maybe you guys had just helped me with a project or something. And some girl about your age was walking by the car and you just rolled down the window and started telling her you're fucking up first. We started talking to her.
00:23:07
Speaker
Yeah, them days was definitely crazy. Yeah. Yeah.
00:23:13
Speaker
So what I've seen in you, Tony, is you've always been somebody who, you sort of knew what was expected of you, and you knew how to act and how to talk and what to say. But it seems like it took some time, which it does for everybody, for it to actually become something that made sense in your life. It's not just to keep myself from getting in trouble. It's because I have a goal and I want to accomplish it, and these are the best ways to do it.
00:23:41
Speaker
But as you grew up, what was it that shifted inside of you to start to take responsibility for your life in the way that I'm seeing you do it now and I've seen you do it over the last number of years where you're really realizing that what you get out of life is going to be a direct result of what you put into it? Yeah, to be honest,
00:24:04
Speaker
It came from hanging out with you, to hanging out with you, Seth, and more people at Breakthrough. It definitely took me away from the game of basketball and introduced me to a whole different lifestyle of life, to be honest. You guys brought things to us that we did not know exist. Like what do you mean by that? Just for one, the camera business.
00:24:34
Speaker
Um, you actually showed us how to edit. You actually showed us how to follow with things with certain steps. And also just with breakthrough, just traveling with them to church programs to be able to see things different than how society had us in Chicago. And you already know that build that build a bond.
00:24:59
Speaker
that built like a family relationship with each other. Yeah. And that goes on with learning things into the new steps of going into college to be able to like you, you came to my prom. You came to my prom. That was a big thing. And after that, you know, we just start clicking on like that. And just to have that moral support of somebody that you don't know and end up loving.
00:25:28
Speaker
that definitely transferred over. So I think that was the part of my life that flipped over just to be able to have those amazing peers in my life. Wow. I didn't expect that. That's really cool. That's really meaningful to hear that. And then, yeah, you introduced me to your family too. I'm like, oh man, this is... I feel the love. Yeah. And it's hard, it's crazy. It's hard to get that from so many people.
00:25:59
Speaker
Like sometimes I expect that so much from people because I give it to them. Yeah. But they definitely don't bring it back. So to actually have that love and give it to others and they actually give it back. It's like, whoa. This person is a genuine, pure hearted person that that gives off great energy that you want to be.
00:26:25
Speaker
with and in life to be able to know and get and hopefully make a big impact in their lives also. Yeah. Well, you know, what's really cool to me too, is that you went on to work at Breakthrough and spend so much time there and invest in. Yeah.
00:26:43
Speaker
the lives of a whole other generation of kids that were just like you, that you're able to be the person that you wanted to have in your own life for so many of these other kids in the neighborhood and in the part of the program. Yeah, I still go there now. Like if I was in Chicago, I would volunteer now because it's good as kids should be able to enjoy being kids.
00:27:12
Speaker
Yeah. And and I was that kid that was in them shoes. Mm hmm. I love the part of having fun and to be able to learn new things and what Breakthrough did at the moment and what they still doing now is is unbelievable. You you always want to go back and show kids the moments that you had to be able to teach them the games that you play when you was at their age. Mm hmm.
00:27:42
Speaker
And they come back, and when you come back, it's like, you are that person. They don't see you as, oh, Antonio, the professional basketball player. They see you as if you are a family member, or uncle, or brother. And to be able to have that love and be able to teach them more into the life that they're having is amazing.
00:28:07
Speaker
Yeah. It's like I'm a preschool teacher if I'm not playing basketball. I've been preschool teaching for five years to actually sit there and actually help a kid to the next level. It's amazing. It's like you just smile at them. They're not aware of what's the next steps and you have
00:28:34
Speaker
the keys and the knowledge to be able to help that next generation and exceed them further than where you are. That's the best feeling ever.
00:28:45
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. That's, oh man, that makes me so happy to hear that, dude. Yes. And I see you living that out. I think that is so, it's awesome. I'm curious just to go back to something you just said about how kids should be able to be kids. What was your experience growing up? Did you feel like you had to grow up too fast? Did you feel like your experience of just being a kid was sort of robbed from you?
Tony's Childhood and Values
00:29:13
Speaker
No, I don't think so. I didn't. I would say I didn't have that much access to things because of wealth, but we definitely had the best. We had the best of our lives, knowing I had five siblings and we loved each other. Like the moments that we had, we could just be outside in the back and we would create the best games ever. We didn't have to go to Disney World.
00:29:41
Speaker
The area that we was in, we took the best out of it, and we made the best. So I feel like my childhood was really good. My parents were still both with us. We didn't have to deal with no other things. It was great. The older you get, the more you start understanding certain things in life. And it's like, yeah. But as a kid, amazing. Amazing. We took every moment for granted.
00:30:05
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, there is that sort of bliss of childhood where the world is a little simpler. There's not the complications of so many things that make decisions difficult and complicate our feelings and all that stuff. Yeah. And you know, I grew up in a church, so. Yeah. Talk a bit more about that. My grandma is a pastor and my dad is a pastor. And I just grew up in a church life.
00:30:35
Speaker
So you know that every Sunday morning, waking up to Gospel music and getting ready the whole Sunday, you think it's a rest day, it's actually a whole church day from like 8 a.m. until like 8 p.m. Are you serious? You were spent all day? Oh man, black churches is...
00:30:54
Speaker
is a length of time of understanding the Lord. Yeah, it was a lot, but it was like with church, with church parents, everything is more strict. Like how so? For one, it was hard to be able to go outside.
00:31:12
Speaker
They wanted to be on top of who you were hanging out with. Yes, it took me to the age of 14 to be able to go across the street and go to the park. That was the crazy part about it. If not, we had kids from the neighborhood coming our backyard and play. But it took me to the age of 14.
00:31:32
Speaker
to actually go across the park. And when I did, that was like... It was like getting a set of car keys. Yeah, it was like a new set of car keys. It's like, man, I want to go everywhere, every day. And I think that's what really took the hold in my life.
00:31:50
Speaker
that I didn't be able to play basketball because I got the freedom at a late age. And since I loved it so much, that was my main focus. I was able to travel somewhere that I wasn't aware of. I actually learned society, the society of what we grew in at that time. Like bit by going to the park. By going to the park, realize
00:32:16
Speaker
as other people, friends, guys who love the game, who's actually bettering the game of basketball. And that actually made me go to that park almost every day because it was players that was actually hooping. And I used to just sit there and watch them play. Yeah.
00:32:39
Speaker
They had me come in one time because one guy left and I was trash. I was trash compared to them. Huh. What did that do for your resolve that I got to get better and I'm going to get better or was, did it, did it crush you? Yeah. It helped me get better because you always got that one old here, the guy that's old here, that's very humble. That's like, man, you kind of good kid. You definitely got some things you need to work on.
00:33:05
Speaker
but you're good. So, you know, taking that word as a little kid, that builds your confidence up. You in the backyard now, you know, when it's time to go in, you in the backyard, I'm in the backyard shooting shots. My pops come outside and I tell them like, man, I want to play basketball so bad. And you know them father and son moments. Yeah. Yeah, them father and son moments where you just tell them your life and what you want to do. You tell them the things that you did and I'm like, man, this is,
00:33:35
Speaker
This is my goal. I want to do this. Yeah. And he's with it. Yeah. Yeah. And so maybe, yeah, then when he tells you, you can't play later on after those conversations that that stings a little more. Yeah. Yeah. I, I bought and fell off a lot. Yeah. But it was for a good purpose though. I felt like it was for a good purpose because like it was a lesson you needed to learn. It was a lesson I needed to learn. And I feel like if I would have still played basketball at that,
00:34:05
Speaker
sophomore, junior, them levels, I would've never had that lesson. I would've felt like the world owed me something because I did this and I did that. Because you did your homework. Because I did my homework. Yeah. Well, did you have any chips on your shoulder about the world? At first I did because I felt like life didn't go the way I wanted to go. Yeah. I wanted this, I wanted that.
00:34:34
Speaker
But now as I see it, I feel like it was a lesson that was needed because something bigger is going to happen. Yeah. It's like stocks. It may go low at some point, but the more you invest and put time into it, the growth will definitely happen.
00:34:51
Speaker
And that's how I took it. You went to Stocks? Oh, yeah, I just got into... What's crazy? Dave, my first coach. Oh, yeah, he's got you. He put me into Stocks. Nice. Dave put me into Stocks. Welcome to that generational wealth. Yes. Yeah, I just started Stocks and I'm loving it. That's awesome. So I don't know a whole lot about the basketball league, but are you, you want to play international? Is that, that's your, that's kind of the next step you see for yourself or? Yes.
00:35:20
Speaker
If G-League happened, I definitely won't deny that at all. But overseas, yes. Especially since I don't have a family at the moment, I love to continue my life of living in different areas. I actually know who I really am and what impact I can have to certain people in life. Like the basketball, I made it here. I'm surprised I made it here. So my mission is already complete.
00:35:49
Speaker
I'm doing things for the love of me at the moment. And to be actually be like, like sit down when you 75 years old and be like, I did this. And I can be able to tell my kids stories about this. Grandkids. So right now I'm doing it for the love of me. I love the game of basketball and I love what it brings. And I'm going to use this talent to fulfill
00:36:18
Speaker
my needs in life and actually enjoy what life gives me. Yeah. Yes. That's cool, man. I mean, I can see, you know, again, on your Instagram, you're always posting. First of all, you're you're in shape. Oh, yeah, I'm trying. I'm trying to get a little big, a little bit. Yeah. I mean, I have a lot of high schoolers, a lot of high schoolers that's on my Instagram. Yeah. A lot of people are looking up to you. Yeah. They messaged me.
00:36:48
Speaker
Ask for point of views. I hook him up with my trainer, Coach Fly, and he's still in Chicago, so it's a connecting point. Whatever I can do to get people, especially young ones, and to live in a basketball dream, I will do it. I will definitely do it. You don't have anybody doing that for you really necessarily. No, nobody did it for me. I actually was crazy. I met
00:37:17
Speaker
how I got here was during the quarantine days. So quarantine to me, I feel like the world stopped. Everybody's home. Everybody's on their phone. That was the way of having access to the world was through your phone because you couldn't have it in person because of the quarantine. So I felt like that was my moment to be able to
00:37:47
Speaker
introduce myself to the world through social media. I emailed, at least, man, 100 coaches. Really? What? They don't know me. I'm in there emailing, typing, introducing myself, hey, this is Antonio Allison, this is that, this is that, send my resume in, send the videos in. You're sending that video of your basketball? Yes. So it's like a basketball resume.
00:38:14
Speaker
of the teams I've been in and the highlights. And I formed that all together into one paper and sent it out. And out of 100, you bound to get somebody to answer. You got to get somebody to answer. And that person that do answer, you build a good conversation with them. So what happened? So a coach got back to you? Yes. So he was like,
00:38:40
Speaker
Hey, how you doing? I saw your resume. It looked kind of good. It could be better, but I have this training camp that's going on in Oklahoma. They didn't have the quarantine. They was still out here without masks. Okay. And that was up to me. Either catch COVID and die potentially. Take a risk of dying or you stay in comfortably. Yeah.
00:39:09
Speaker
I took my wrist, like if I caught COVID, aye. Like I would live with that. Yeah. So you took your shot. So he got back to you and said, come on down to Oklahoma. Let's train together. Or what was the... Yes. So he was like, come to Oklahoma. I'll send you the information and I will tell you all details. You have to pay your own flight, but this is an opportunity for you to grow, grow your career. And I took that chance.
00:39:38
Speaker
during the COVID times when it just happened. And that was like one of the best memories that ever happened in my life. So what happened when you were down there? It was like four people, four or five people that came through. And we went through workouts. No cold mass. We working out every day. Sun is hot as ever. Outside? No, inside. But the gym is like...
00:40:03
Speaker
Man, I'm torching. And we did drills. We played against each other. They still had some other people that were still staying there. So we scrimmaged. And this guy, he coached in Italy and all that. And he loved my game. So he started introducing me to things. He actually introduced me to the DR. That's how I got to the DR. OK. And that brought connections to other people.
00:40:34
Speaker
And I end up meeting this guy named Jay Reed. He's the owner of two teams at this moment in the TBL. And I did the trials when I told you I didn't make it the first year, but then I came back now. I ended up making it. It's the same owner, same guy, Jay Reed.
00:40:54
Speaker
I was being able to grow off of it. So this all happened based off quarantine. Wow. Up until that point, Tony, did you think that, did you kind of feel like basketball was over?
Growth and Reflection During Quarantine
00:41:06
Speaker
There was no real avenue for you to play like you wanted to? Yes. I felt like that because during that time I just got done with college basketball and I had one more year left.
00:41:20
Speaker
And that's when quarantine started. So I wasn't able to pay my last year of college basketball. I see. So that season was canceled. That season was canceled. And that you were hoping that that season might lead you to some other opportunities.
00:41:34
Speaker
Yes, or be transferred to another one or anything possible. Were you pretty devastated at that point? Did you feel like a dream died? Yeah, to be honest, it felt like the same situation of the freshman year of high school, but I was more in control of my emotions.
00:41:56
Speaker
I was more so like to myself, I didn't go out, I stayed home the whole time during quarantine. You just think so much waiting for something to pop. And you'll pray, you'll work out until something come out. Like we in quarantine, we can't do nothing. So all you have is yourself and your thoughts. This is the time to
00:42:23
Speaker
to study yourself, to know, like I learned my habits, what habits I have. I've learned how to build things. Like I study so much of myself during quarantine and to be able to have that world stop in my eyes and to be able to get people to be able to have their attention for five minutes, at least.
00:42:52
Speaker
from the stuff I emailed to have daytime for five minutes to look at my stuff and be able to make a decision. Yeah. To be able to make a decision like, is this kid worth putting my name on the line? I'm this big person, but is this kid Antonio Allison worth putting my name on the line? Will he mess up my opportunity?
00:43:20
Speaker
Or if I introduce him to something, will he make the most out of it? Yeah. So that's what I wanted to live with. You just decided that you were going to answer that question as yes. Yeah. I told him yes. Straight up. I didn't want to go into details because I felt like that was going second guess them. Yes. Bring it on. That's all. I'm in this gym. If you want some videos of me in the gym,
00:43:48
Speaker
I could have Nick, my big bro, record me while I'm in there. We did that so many times. One of my videos I got on YouTube, it's low numbers, but I had a recording and I edit myself because I didn't have much people that can be able to come to my game and be able to help me. Because everybody was in quarantine focusing on themselves. A lot of people wasn't working, a lot of people was.
00:44:14
Speaker
Money was of big value that you needed to have during quarantine. So I didn't really have that much of a big support. So everything I felt like was going down here. Yeah. And I still have my loved ones. Nick was able to help me. Whatever money that I was able to get, I'll help him for it. Yeah. Just help me get my name out here. I can do the edits and we're going to send these out to people. Yeah. Yeah. And we're going to build off of it.
00:44:42
Speaker
And we just kept that mindset and stayed with it. Do you feel like beyond your skills in basketball, do you think that's your most valuable asset, that mindset? Yes, because I feel like it transferred into I need to put myself on the line to be able to grind, hustle, and interact with people I don't know just to have the lifestyle that I want. I don't know these people.
00:45:11
Speaker
and I'm skeptical of them, but I have to trust them. You don't wanna trust them, but that's the uncomfortable of success. Yeah, you gotta be comfortable with vulnerability. Yes, you have to. It's hard, it's hard, but it's worth it because you start to grow and you start to interact more and you start to fill your body up with so much knowledge and intelligence from others, people
00:45:41
Speaker
Like another person work and transfer over and help another person life. I feel like it was no choice but to do it. I didn't have nothing to lose. Yeah, I took my chance. Yeah, now look at you, you're living in Oklahoma, playing ball. But the job's still not over. Yeah, right, right. Yeah, I love the lifestyle. I love being here.
00:46:08
Speaker
especially being on this podcast and still having people that love you. You want to see how far you can really go. Sure. Yes. So yeah, I'm definitely happy that I got this opportunity to be able to play basketball at a great professional level.
00:46:24
Speaker
You know, as positive of a mindset as anyone can have, there's still times or days where you get caught up in negativity and the feelings of impossibility. It's all the stuff that gets you down. So what do you use when that happens to help you get back on track, to remind you of your goals and to keep moving forward? I look at my past.
00:46:53
Speaker
I always go back in my past and see something that aggravate me at moments. And I always look at the way that I handled it and I look at it now as I know I can handle it better. So I look at the past and see what I did wrong and bring it into the present and be like,
00:47:22
Speaker
I know better now. I'm wiser. I'm more intelligent now. I'm more healthy now. I can be able to pursue these things. And from that failure, that loss that I had in the past that
00:47:36
Speaker
brings the adrenaline to the present. And it's just a way of, you know, just having that mindset of this is not gonna happen no more. I'm gonna build myself up. I can do this. I know if something that I don't have at the moment that I need, oh, I'm gonna get prepared for it. I got a game against a big guard in a week.
00:48:01
Speaker
Okay, Monday, let's get ready for training. Let's work out the arms. Let's work out the abs. Let's work out the chest. Tuesday, I'm shooting around. I'm getting prepared for it. Wednesday, I study film about them. Thursday, I rest, get shots up, get prepared for them. Friday, you did everything that you can. So with all that you built from them today's until this Friday, let's bring it all in together.
00:48:32
Speaker
for this two-hour moment of entertainment. And that's the beauty of it. You prepare so much for one little moment, but that one little moment transfers into a great future.
Motivation from Past Experiences
00:48:49
Speaker
Yeah, right. And it's applicable to so many different areas of your life, not just basketball. Exactly. And that's why I love it. I don't take it as a way of like, I won.
00:49:01
Speaker
be able to relax, kick my feet up. I had that same mindset. One is done, on to the next. Yeah. You just keep going. Yes. I have a one day where I smile, tell my mama like, hey, mom, I did it. Just be giggly. But the next day, I need to mentally prepare myself. So I'm keeping myself on a schedule. I need this to happen. I need that to happen.
00:49:28
Speaker
Yeah, that's awesome. Tony, I got so much love for you. It's so cool to just hear you talk. I'm blown away and I'm just seeing your progression from a 13-year-old when we met.
00:49:44
Speaker
to who you are now. Back in the day, we had a lot more regular interaction and it hasn't been as much in the last five years or so, but just to see the growth and the progression, you've undergone it to see where you're at in your life now. You're chasing down these dreams and you're giving it all you got, man. You're teaching me lessons as you do it. I think it is so cool, man. That's what's up, man. I'm happy.
00:50:13
Speaker
I'm so I love it. I love it. It's getting there. I feel like I'm still missing something in life. I don't know yet. But what do you mean? What do you mean? Man, every day is just like it's the same good feeling. But I feel like it's something to be completed. I don't know. Hmm.
00:50:31
Speaker
I don't know. I don't know if it's a, I have to have a kid or like, was that maybe that hunger that keeps you going, it keeps you that doesn't let you like settle. Exactly. Like it's not meant for me to get the answer to that question yet. Yeah. Like it's still another journey. You need to live my brother. I think that's the, the, the calling God got for me. And I haven't, I haven't doubted it nor.
00:51:01
Speaker
been too much on my mind to try to find the answer. I just let it flow. Let it flow. Get better as a person and everything else feeling it.
00:51:11
Speaker
Yeah, there's only so much you can control, right? Exactly. And who you are as a person is kind of it. Yeah, yeah, for real. Yeah. I definitely salute you. Just from the 13-year-old, just introducing me to those new aspects of life was crazy. It was crazy. A couple months ago, I tried to go back on that website to see if we still had the videos. Yeah.
00:51:41
Speaker
Yeah, and it played one time, but the other ones it didn't play. Really? Yeah, I wanted to show people. Well, you know, Devin Instagramed me a few months back, too. And he's like, where's that video? I don't want to find that video. So I went back. I'll share it with you, too. But I found it.
00:52:00
Speaker
And, you know, the one that the two of you were in. Oh, yeah. The basketball. I fear. I fear for what I am. Yeah. Yeah. And we were so focused on that. Man, the camera action was in the way the rain was. You can see the raindrops falling and the ball just dribbling. I was like, whoa. Joe got something up his sleeve.
00:52:24
Speaker
This was before 2020, before 2016. That was elite.
00:52:35
Speaker
Those are good days, get really good memories. I think back on that time often as some of the best experiences of filmmaking that I have where building relationships with you guys but also I was learning so much at the same time and to share it with you all in that film club and to go on that storytelling journey together that we did was so meaningful for me.
00:53:01
Speaker
Yeah, I appreciate you for real. Yeah, likewise, man. How do people watch your games or see what you're up to? Yeah, so since I got traded last night, I got traded last night. Oh, wow, last night? Yeah, so I had mad. I've been going through it here, but I'm keeping faith. How does that work? They just send you an email and let you know? It was more so because the minutes that I had was not
00:53:30
Speaker
a great factor for me. You wanted more. I mean, as a professional, you got to deal with the minutes. You're getting paid. So, yeah. But it was like so many losses happening and that I wanted to talk to the coach and the coach wasn't really giving me much conversation. And I felt like it was a need to get traded because I wasn't getting my answers to questions that I wanted to know about.
00:54:00
Speaker
Okay. Everything was behind the bush and I wanted to further my career. And I feel like at that, on that team, I wasn't able to fulfill that need. And I asked for a trade and it ended up happening. So are you excited about it? Yes, I'm very excited about it. I'm with a team that they got a lot of hungry guys that's willing to go all out for a win.
00:54:29
Speaker
And I think we all match that, that personality of the game. And I feel like we'd be a great asset together to get wins. So I have my first practice tonight with them and I'm thirsty for a new beginner. This is a new journey.
00:54:50
Speaker
same, the same role. See, I mean, see the same in the state that goes to the same route. Yeah. But it's a new, it's a new journey that I'm, I'm ready to take on. That's awesome. And how do we, until these games are view, like we can watch these games online or
Reflections and Future Endeavors
00:55:05
Speaker
how do we? Yes, it's on tbl.tv. Okay. I, uh, it's the South East Texas Panthers, I believe. Yes. Okay. Uh, I could be able to give you the link
00:55:19
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. When I post the episode with our conversation, I'll put that link in the description and then it'd be easy for people to find. Cool. All right. Well, thanks so much, Tony, and good luck with everything, man. Thank you for having me, man. Thank you for chatting today. Thank you. For anybody who are watching this, definitely keep chasing your dreams.
00:55:41
Speaker
Just a small segment of your life doesn't determine the whole part of your life. Continue to grow. Any downfalls is definitely an upbringing for great success because I feel like the downfall is the hunger that you really want. And that's the need to be able to exceed higher. So whatever you go for in life, please continue it.
00:56:08
Speaker
Please continue it. You may think it might be down and it's over with, but people still have your name and they might still have a bill for what the success that you have got going on and continue to grow it, continue to grow it. And age ain't nothing but a number. You can do whatever you can at any age, as long as you have the great mindset and let it further to the best of your ability into a great life.
00:56:34
Speaker
Beautiful. That's beautiful. No problem. Thanks, man. No problem. Good luck with everything. And yeah, keep in touch. I'll be watching the game on Friday. Thank you. Appreciate it. Yeah, man. Talk soon.
00:56:58
Speaker
You can follow Tony on Instagram and you can also catch his games live and online at thebasketballleague.net and both of those links are in the episode description. This conversation with Tony was really meaningful for me. It's been some time since we've really connected as he's gotten older and you know I have young kids and life just kind of squeezes out opportunities to hang out like we used to but
00:57:22
Speaker
To see someone you love grow up and overcome difficult things and believe in themselves and pursue a dream like Tony is doing is really such a gift and I don't really know what else to call it but a gift. I'm just really grateful for Tony and what he's doing and that he would come on this show and share that with me. Okay, that's it for this week. Thank you so much for listening. Have a great week and we'll be back next week.