The third of five children, Allen was born at Castle Air Force Base near Merced, California, the son of Walter Sr. and Flora Allen. A military child, he spent time growing up in Saxmundham in England, Altus in Oklahoma, Edwards Air Force Base in California, and Germany. After years of traveling and constant moving, he moved to Dalzell, South Carolina where he would attend high school for the next four years. When he first arrived, he was always the odd man out that kids often picked on for his formative language that he used due to his elementary years in Britain.

Allen remained with the Bucks midway through the 2002-03 season, when he was dealt to the Sonics, along with Ronald Murray, former UConn teammate Kevin Ollie, and a conditional first round draft pick, in exchange for Gary Payton and Desmond Mason. After an injury-riddled 2003-04 season, he was named to the All-NBA Second Team and, alongside teammate Rashard Lewis, led the Sonics to the Conference Semifinals in 2005.  During the 2004 preseason, Allen had a brief war of words with Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, whom Allen accused of alienating teammates trying to prove that he did not need Shaquille O'Neal to win games and championships. Allen told the press that if the Lakers remained a mediocre squad, "in about a year or two he will be calling out to (Lakers owner) Jerry Buss that we need some help in here, or trade me." When asked about Allen's comments, Bryant responded, "Don't even put me and that dude in the same breath."  After the 2004-05 season, Allen signed a 5-year, $80 million contract extension. In the 2006-07 regular season, he averaged a career-high 26.4 points per game while adding 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.  During his Seattle SuperSonics tenure, Allen achieved many individual accomplishments. On March 12, 2006, Allen became the 97th player in NBA history to score 15,000 points. On April 7, 2006, Allen moved into second place on the NBA's list of all-time 3-point field goals made, trailing only Reggie Miller. On April 19, 2006, Allen broke Dennis Scott's ten-year-old NBA record for 3-point field goals made in a season in a game against the Denver Nuggets. The record has since been broken by Stephen Curry.  On January 12, 2007, Allen scored a career-high 54 points against the Utah Jazz in a 122-114 overtime win, the second most in Sonics history. Shortly after, he had ankle surgery on both ankles and missed the remainder of the 2006-07 season. Answer this question using a quote from the following article:

What did Kobe Bryant do during this war of words?
When asked about Allen's comments, Bryant responded, "Don't even put me and that dude in the same breath."