Brian Wade Grant (born March 5, 1972) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He played the power forward and center positions for five teams during 12 seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

. 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 1994–95 season), Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat,

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

and

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

Early life

Grant grew up in the small, rural community of

Georgetown, Ohio Georgetown is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Brown County, Ohio, Brown County, Ohio, United States located about 36 miles southeast of Cincinnati. The population was 4,331 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is the count ...

, near the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

about 40 miles southeast of

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. During summers, he spent most of his time working at area farms, cutting, housing, and stripping tobacco, digging potatoes and baling hay. He played basketball at Georgetown High School, mostly in anonymity until

Xavier University Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati and Evanston (Cincinnati), Ohio. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier has an undergraduate enrollment of 4,860 studen ...

's basketball office began receiving anonymous calls stating that they should take a look at Grant. Xavier assistant coach Dino Gaudio finally scouted Grant, followed by visits from XU head coach

Pete Gillen Peter Joseph Gillen (born June 20, 1947) is an American former college basketball head coach of the Division I, Providence Friars and Virginia Cavaliers and is a member of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame. Gillen is currently a college b ...

. Georgetown High's gymnasium has since been renamed Brian Grant Gymnasium.

College career

Grant played basketball at Xavier University, but the anonymity quickly faded. After four seasons at Xavier, Grant was second on the all-time leading scorers' list with 1,719 points. He was twice named Midwest Collegiate Conference Player of the Year. All four seasons at Xavier he led the Musketeers in rebounding, and was third on the all-time leading rebounding list with 1,080. He was named to the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

honorable mention All-American team in his junior year, after ranking second in the nation in field goal percentage with 65.4 percent. Grant was inducted into the Xavier Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999 and became one of only four basketball players to have his jersey retired, in a ceremony held in 2011.

Professional career

Sacramento Kings (1994–1997)

Grant was selected in the first round, eighth overall, in the

1994 NBA draft The 1994 NBA draft took place on June 29, 1994, at Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis. Two NBA rookies of the year were picked in the first round, as Jason Kidd and Grant Hill were co-winners of the award for the 1994–95 NBA season. Kidd and Hill ...

by the Sacramento Kings. In his rookie season he started in 59 out of 80 games, averaging 13.2 points a game with 7.5 rebounds. The following year, he started in 75 out of 78 games, increasing his scoring average to 14.4 points a game as the Kings made the playoffs. The Kings lost in four games to the top-seeded Seattle SuperSonics in the

first round First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

, with Grant averaging 9.8 points per game for the series. He signed a five-year, $29 million contract, but due to injuries appeared in only 24 games in the 1996–1997 season, and the Kings did not make the playoffs.

Portland Trail Blazers (1997–2000)

Grant opted out of the deal following the 1997 season to sign a six-year, $56 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers. In his first year with the Trail Blazers he started in 49 of 61 games as the team made the playoffs but lost in the

to the

3 games to 1. Grant averaged 13.2 points and 10.7 rebounds a game for the series. The 1998–1999 season was shortened to 50 games because of a league lockout, and Grant started 46 of 48 games with a scoring average of 11.5 points a game and a team high 9.8 rebounds per game. The Trail Blazers won the Pacific Division, swept the

in the first round of the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

and defeated the previous Western Conference Champion Utah Jazz in six games in the second round. In the Western Conference Finals, the Trail Blazers were swept by the league-leading

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

. Grant started all 13 playoff games and averaged 13.2 points with 9.2 rebounds. Prior to the 1999–2000 season, Portland acquired veteran all-star

Scottie Pippen Scotty Maurice Pippen Sr. (born September 25, 1965), usually spelled Scottie Pippen, is an American former professional basketball player. He played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with the ...

, and coach Mike Dunleavy decided to use Grant as a reserve behind rising all-star Rasheed Wallace, who would go on to have a career year during the season as the Trail Blazers won 59 games and the second seed in the Western Conference. Portland opened the

with a 3–1 first-round win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, with Grant and Wallace both being used as defensive options against Kevin Garnett. Grant was used in a similar fashion against Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz in the second round, with Portland advancing in five games. In the Western Conference Finals, the Trail Blazers faced the

led by Pippen's former Chicago Bulls coach

Phil Jackson Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. A power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning NBA championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and ...

and the duo of

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...

and

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely r ...

. The teams split the first two games before the Lakers took games 3 and 4 to take a 3–1 series lead, but Portland responded with a win on the road in game 5 and a home win in the sixth game to set up a seventh game with a trip to the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

on the line. Despite taking a double-digit lead into the fourth quarter, the Lakers rallied and won the game, eliminating Portland. Grant averaged 5.4 points and 5.8 rebounds throughout the 2000 playoff run. 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 job elsewhere. Grant made an appearance (albeit as an in game model) in a memorable

Sega Dreamcast The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Nint ...

commercial in 1999 where he was seen talking to ''

Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...

'' character Tails. After the two-tailed fox said to Grant, "Brian, you're going to get roofed.", Grant replied with, "Shut up, quadruped."

Miami Heat (2000–2004)

In the summer of 2000 Grant signed a 7-year $86 million deal with the Miami Heat, despite coming off season averages of 7.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg. The deal raised eyebrows, but Heat President and GM Pat Riley insisted that Grant was the missing piece to the Heat's championship puzzle, along with other recently acquired players

Eddie Jones Edward, Eddie, or Ed Jones may refer to: Architecture * Edward Vason Jones (1909–1980), American neoclassical architect * Edward Jones (English architect) (born 1939), English architect who designed the Saïd Business School * Edward Jones (Wel ...

and Anthony Mason. Weeks before the start of the season Miami's all-star center

Alonzo Mourning Alonzo Harding Mourning Jr. (born February 8, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who has served as vice president of player programs and development for the Miami Heat since June 2009. Mourning played most of his 15-year ...

was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease forcing Riley to play Grant at center despite usually playing at the power forward position. 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. Miami won 50 games, and Mourning returned to the team in late March, but were swept in the

by the younger

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

. Grant averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds for the series. In the 2001–2002 season, with the anticipated return of Mourning to the lineup, Grant returned to his natural power forward position. Grant started in 72 games for Miami averaging 9.3 points and 8 rebounds a game for the season, but the Heat failed to reach the postseason. The next year signaled a rebuilding era for the team, as the Heat won just 25 games with Grant averaging 10.3 points a game along with a career high 10.2 rebounds, which placed him at fifth in the league in rebounds per game. He also finished the season 4th in total rebounds, 5th in defensive rebounds, and 10th in the league in field goal percentage at .509 percent, all personal bests. The Heat once again found themselves in the lottery, and would select

Dwyane Wade Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. (; born January 17, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Wade spent the majority of his 16-year career playing for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and won three NBA champi ...

in the draft to join sophomore Caron Butler before acquiring free agent

Lamar Odom Lamar Joseph Odom (born November 6, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. As a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he won championships in 2009 and 2010 and was named the NBA Sixt ...

in the offseason. Alonzo Mourning, who did not play in the 2003 season, left the team and signed with the New Jersey Nets, leaving Grant as the team's best option at the center position. Just prior to the 2003–2004 season, another major franchise change occurred, as Pat Riley stepped down as coach. He would be replaced by longtime assistant

Stan Van Gundy Stanley Alan Van Gundy (born August 26, 1959) is an American former basketball coach who is a National Basketball Association (NBA) game analyst for TNT. Prior to TNT, Van Gundy was most recently the head coach for the New Orleans Pelicans of the ...

. The 2003–2004 season proved to be a major success for the rebuilding franchise, as the Heat overcame an 0–7 start to eventually make the playoffs as the 4th seed in the East led by the play of Odom, Jones and Wade. Grant started 76 games at center and averaged 8.7 points and 6.9 rebounds a game. In the

, the Heat defeated the New Orleans Hornets, who had relocated from Charlotte, in a challenging 7-game series in which the home team won every game. In the second round the Heat faced the top seeded

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

, who took the first two games in Indiana before the Heat won two straight games at home to tie the series at two games apiece, including a game three victory led by Grant's 16 rebounds. The Pacers would win the next two games to advance however, defeating the young Heat team considered to have much promise heading into the future. Grant averaged 7.1 points and 8.6 rebounds a game throughout the postseason.

Los Angeles Lakers (2004–2005)

During the summer of 2004, the Heat traded Grant (along with Caron Butler,

, and a future first-round draft pick) to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for superstar

. Grant would play one year for the rebuilding Lakers, playing in a total of 69 games and starting in 8 with career low averages of 3.8 points and 3.7 rebounds a game.

Phoenix Suns (2005–2006)

In the 2005 offseason, Grant was released by the Lakers and signed with the Phoenix Suns. He would go on to only appear in 21 games for the Suns, including 5 games in their playoff run which resulted in wins against the Lakers, and the Los Angeles Clippers before falling to the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

in the Western Finals. Following the season Grant was traded in the 2006 NBA draft to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

with the rights to

Rajon Rondo Rajon Pierre Rondo (, born February 22, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, Rondo played two years of college basketball for ...

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 had reduced his level of play for several seasons. Brian worked with

Greg Oden Gregory Wayne Oden Jr. (born January 22, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. Oden, a 7'0" (2.13m) center (basketball), center, played college basketball at Ohio State University for 2006–07 Ohio State Buckeyes men's bask ...

in the 2009 off-season in Columbus, Ohio, for the purposes of adding more toughness, basketball smarts, and miscellaneous advice.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 80 , , 59 , , 28.6 , , .511 , , .250 , , .636 , , 7.5 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , 1.5 , , 13.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 78 , , 75 , , 30.7 , , .507 , , .235 , , .732 , , 7.0 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , 1.3 , , 14.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 24 , , 15 , , 25.4 , , .440 , , , , .778 , , 5.9 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , 1.0 , , 10.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, 61 , , 49 , , 31.5 , , .508 , , .000 , , .750 , , 9.1 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .7 , , 12.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 48 , , 46 , , 31.8 , , .479 , , , , .814 , , 9.8 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .7 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 63 , , 14 , , 21.0 , , .491 , , .500 , , .675 , , 5.5 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .4 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, 82 , , 79 , , 33.8 , , .479 , , .000 , , .797 , , 8.8 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , .9 , , 15.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 72 , , 72 , , 31.3 , , .469 , , .000 , , .849 , , 8.0 , , 1.9 , , .7 , , .4 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 32.2 , , .509 , , , , .771 , , 10.2 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .6 , , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 76 , , 30.3 , , .471 , , .000 , , .782 , , 6.9 , , .9 , , .7 , , .5 , , 8.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, 69 , , 8 , , 16.5 , , .493 , , , , .722 , , 3.7 , , .5 , , .3 , , .3 , , 3.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 21 , , 2 , , 11.8 , , .415 , , , , .875 , , 2.7 , , .3 , , .2 , , .1 , , 2.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 756 , , 577 , , 28.3 , , .490 , , .214 , , .746 , , 7.4 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .7 , , 10.5

Playoffs

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1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

, style="text-align:left;",

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, 4 , , 4 , , 31.0 , , .381 , , , , .500 , , 5.0 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 1.8 , , 9.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 33.8 , , .528 , , , , .833 , , 10.8 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 13.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 13 , , 13 , , 37.1 , , .529 , , , , .625 , , 9.2 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , 1.2 , , 13.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 16 , , 0 , , 20.0 , , .446 , , , , .744 , , 5.8 , , .5 , , .4 , , .4 , , 5.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 0 , , 28.0 , , .417 , , , , .714 , , 8.0 , , .3 , , .0 , , 1.7 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 13 , , 13 , , 30.8 , , .429 , , .000 , , .571 , , 8.6 , , .8 , , .5 , , .6 , , 7.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 5 , , 0 , , 2.5 , , .333 , , , , .000 , , .4 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 58 , , 34 , , 26.9 , , .465 , , .000 , , .659 , , 7.1 , , .7 , , .5 , , .8 , , 8.2

Personal life

Health

In November 2005, after talking with a neurologist at

OHSU Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is a public research university focusing primarily on health sciences with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland, Oregon. The institution was founded in 1887 as the University of Oregon Medi ...

, Grant was diagnosed with early-onset

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

. Through discussions and encouragement by well-known Parkinson's sufferers

Michael J. Fox Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian-American retired actor. Beginning his career in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom ''Family Ties'' (1 ...

and

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

, Grant publicized his diagnosis in 2009. Grant's memoir 'Rebound: Soaring in the NBA, Battling Parkinson's, and Finding What Really Matters' was released in April 2021, co-authored by Ric Bucher.

References

External links

The Brian Grant Foundation

Brian Grant Speaks
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Brian 1972 births Living people 20th-century American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportspeople American men's basketball players Basketball players from Columbus, Ohio Centers (basketball) Los Angeles Lakers players Miami Heat players People from Georgetown, Ohio People from West Linn, Oregon People with Parkinson's disease Phoenix Suns players Portland Trail Blazers players Power forwards Sacramento Kings draft picks Sacramento Kings players Xavier Musketeers men's basketball players