After earning a contract extension this past offseason, Cleveland Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen got his first All-Star nod in 2021-22.
During his time at All-Star Weekend, the big man sat down with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. When asked about his contract extension, Allen told Windhorst he doesn’t like to spend “just because it’s there” and that he much prefers to spend money on “the right thing.”
One example: Allen still uses an Android phone, not an iPhone. (Via ESPN):
“So it’s funny. I actually had to get an iPhone — I have an Android and an iPhone — just ’cause they wouldnt let me in the group text. Sometimes, they’d be like: ‘J, why weren’t you at the event last night?’ It’s like: ‘What event?’ I wasn’t in the group text because they want all blue messages.”
The big man said that he went for three and a half years before he “caved in” and decided to buy an iPhone just for the group chats with his teammates.
Windhorst told Allen that Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez takes a similar stance, but his consistent refusal to get an iPhone has kept him (and his twin brother Robin Lopez) out of communication with teammates.
But perhaps Allen’s willingness to get an iPhone, even if he just uses it as a burner to text with his teammates, helped him establish some chemistry with Darius Garland and Evan Mobley to win the 2022 NBA Skills Challenge.