Brian Grant

Infobox NBAretired

---

width=
caption=
position=Power forward/Center
number=33, 44, 55
height_ft= 6|height_in=9
weight_lbs=254
birthdate=birth date and age|1972|3|5
Columbus, Ohio
debutyear=1994
finalyear=2006
draftyear=1994
draftround=1
draftpick=8
draftteam = Sacramento Kings
college=Xavier
teams=
*Sacramento Kings (1994–1997)
*Portland Trail Blazers (1997–2000)
*Miami Heat (2000–2004)
*Los Angeles Lakers (2004–2005)
*Phoenix Suns (2005–2006)
*Boston Celtics (2006)
stat1label=Points
stat1value=7,933
stat2label=Rebounds
stat2value=5,622
stat3label=Assists
stat3value=923
letter=g
bbr=grantbr01
highlights=
*1994-1995 NBA All Rookie Team
*J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (1999)
HOF=

Brian Wade Grant (born March 5 1972, in Columbus, Ohio) is a retired American basketball player. He played the power forward and center positions for five teams during 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association. He was known for his tenacious rebounding and blue-collar defense. During his career, he played with the Sacramento Kings (where he made First Team All-Rookie in the 1994-1995 season), Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns.

College career

He was picked up on the Xavier college basketball team where he was second on the all-time leading scorers' list. He became the two-time Midwest Collegiate Conference Player of the Year at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. He continued to practice with the coaches after each practice and continue to get better. All four seasons with Xavier University he led his team in rebounding, and was third on the all-time leading rebounding list. He was named to the Associated Press' honorable mention All-American team in his junior year, after ranking second in the nation in field goal percentage with 65.4 percent.

Xavier Stats YEAR TEAM G MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG

90-91 Xavier 32 29.1 .572 -- .694 8.5 0.6 0.9 0.8 2.4 3.4 11.6

91-92 Xavier 26 28.0 .576 -- .583 9.1 0.9 0.7 1.0 2.5 3.0 11.8

92-93 Xavier 30 31.5 .654 -- .692 9.4 1.5 0.8 1.0 2.0 2.2 18.5

93-94 Xavier 29 30.8 .559 .333 .713 9.9 1.6 0.9 1.6 2.3 2.5 16.7

Total 117 29.9 .594 .333 .676 9.2 1.2 0.8 1.1 2.3 cal 14.7

NBA career

Grant was drafted in the first round of the 1994 NBA Draft by the Kings. He signed a 5-year, 29 million dollar contract.

Grant opted out of the deal following the 1997 season to sign a 7-year, $56 million deal with the Trail Blazers. After two years as the starting PF and one year as the Blazers' number one big man off the bench, Grant once again opted out of his deal to become a free agent, hoping to land a starting gig elsewhere.

In the summer of 2000 Grant signed a mega-deal with Miami: 7 years, $86 million, despite coming off season averages of 7.5 ppg and 5.5 rpgg. The deal raised eyebrows, but Heat GM Pat Riley insisted that Grant was the missing piece to the Heat's championship puzzle. Grant responded by putting up a career season of 15.2 ppg, 8.8 rpg, and a career high 79.7% at the foul line, despite having to play out of position at center while his natural position is at power forward.

During the summer of 2004, he was traded (along with Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, and a future first-round draft pick) to the Lakers in exchange for Shaquille O'Neal. Grant was released the following off-season and signed with Phoenix. He was traded in the 2006 NBA Draft to the Boston Celtics with the rights to Rajon Rondo in exchange for a future first-round draft pick. After being waived by the Celtics on October 27, 2006, Grant formally announced his retirement after lingering injuries have reduced his level of play for several seasons.

He is nicknamed "The General" after growing up in the same town as Civil War Union general and President Ulysses S. Grant.

Grant's cousins include former San Francisco 49ers cornerback Ahmed Plummer and actor/model Steven Grant. Grant also has a tattoo of famed reggae singer Bob Marley on his right arm, among others.

External links

* [http://www.nba.com/playerfile/brian_grant/index.html?nav=page NBA player profile] @ NBA.com
* [http://www.briangrant55.com Official Website]
* [http://www.nba.com/suns/photogallery/brian_grant.html NBA.com - Brian Grant Through the Years Photo Gallery] @ NBA.com
*basketball-reference