Allen Graves

Graves was born on July 28, 2006, in Ponchatoula, Louisiana. He grew up playing football, but decided to commit to professional basketball as he nursed an elbow injury leading up to his tenth grade. A growth spurt over that summer saw him grow from 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) to 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m), resulting in him shifting from point guard to a big man role. In his sophomore year at Ponchatoula High School, Graves averaged 12 points, eight rebounds, and two assists per game as a sophomore. As a junior, Graves averaged a double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds and led his team to a Division 1 non-select state championship title. In the championship game, he posted 23 points and 16 rebounds and was named Most Outstanding Player.

As a senior, Graves averaged 20.9 points and 12.1 rebounds, leading his team to a 30-4 record. In the state championship game, Graves posted 19 points and 20 rebounds en route to a second consecutive title. He was named the 2023-24 Gatorade Louisiana Boys Basketball Player of the Year as well as Louisiana Mr. Basketball.

After redshirting in 2024-25, Graves played all 35 games for Santa Clara in 2025-26. On February 7, 2026, he scored a season-high 30 points and 13 rebounds in a 96-92 win over Washington State. As a freshman, Graves averaged 11.8 points and led the team with 6.5 rebounds per game. He also tallied a total of 67 steals, tied for the most among freshmen in D-I with Tounde Yessoufou and the most by a freshman in program history. Graves was named the WCC's Freshman of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year.

On April 7, 2026, Graves declared for the 2026 NBA draft.

On June 23, 2026, Graves was selected with the 19th overall pick by the Toronto Raptors in the 2026 NBA draft.

Graves' hobby since childhood is reading books, and he has an Instagram page where he posts Bible scripture videos.