Travis Grant (born January 1, 1950) is a former American
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 ...
small forward
The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...
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 ...
(NBA) for the
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 ...
. He also was a member of the
San Diego Conquistadors
The San Diego Conquistadors (known as the San Diego Sails in their final, partial season), were an American Basketball Association (ABA) team based in San Diego. The "Q's", as they were popularly known, played from 1972 to 1975. As the Sails, the ...
,
Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of ...
, and
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 ...
in the
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...
(ABA). He played
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
at
Kentucky State University.
Early years
Growing up in rural Alabama as part of the segregated South, he practiced his basketball shot using a tennis ball and a cutout five-gallon bucket as a makeshift rim.
He attended Barbour County High School in
Clayton, Alabama
Clayton is a town in and the county seat of Barbour County, Alabama, United States. The population was 3,008 at the 2010 census, up from 1,475 in 2000.
History
Clayton has been the county seat since 1834, two years after the creation of Barbou ...
. As a senior, he was offered an opportunity to transfer to a white school, but he instead opted to stay put.
College career
Grant accepted a basketball scholarship from
NAIA Kentucky State University, because of his relationship with head coach Lucias Mitchell, turning down other offers.
[
As a freshman, he spent the first half of the season opener against ]Campbell College
Campbell College located in Belfast, Northern Ireland and founded in 1894 comprises a preparatory school department (junior age) and a senior Northern Ireland 'Voluntary Grammar' school, the latter meaning, in terms of provision of education, a ...
on the bench, entering the game in the second half and hitting 10 straight shots, which earned him the "Machine".[ He finished the season averaging 26.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and shot 61.9% from the field.]
As a sophomore, he led the team to a 29–3 record and the NAIA National Championship. He averaged 35.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and shot 70% from the field. In the NAIA Tournament, he averaged 27.4 points. He also scored a school record 75 points in a regular season game against Northwood Institute.
As a junior, he led the team to a 31–2 record and a second straight NAIA National Championship. He averaged 31.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and shot 64.8% from the field. In the NAIA Tournament, he averaged 33.6 points and received the Chuck Taylor MVP Award.[
As a senior, he led the team to a 28–5 record and a third straight NAIA National Championship. He averaged 39.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and shot 62% from the field. He scored 68 points against ]Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...
and their star George "The Iceman" Gervin.[ In the NAIA tournament he scored 213 points, including a tournament single-game record of 60 points against ]Minot State University
Minot State University (MSU or MiSU) is a public university in Minot, North Dakota. Founded in 1913 as a normal school, Minot State University is the third-largest university in North Dakota, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
...
. He set the All-time tournament scoring record for both a season (213) and a career (518). He averaged an NAIA record 33.4 points per game over his career. He received the Chuck Taylor MVP Award for the second time in a row. He also was the first small college player to win the Lapchick Trophy-Sporting News College Basketball Player of the Year award.[
Grant graduated as the all-time/all-division scoring leader in college basketball history with 4,045 points (378 more than Pistol Pete Maravich).][ His record was later broken by both Phil Hutcheson (4,106) and John Pierce (4,230) of ]Lipscomb University
Lipscomb University is a private university in Nashville, Tennessee. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The campus is located in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, between Belmont Boulevard to the west and Granny White Pike o ...
.
In 1987, he was inducted into the Kentucky State University Hall of Fame. In 2009, he was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame
The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hall of fame and museum dedicated to men's college basketball. The museum is an integral portion of the College Basketball Experience created by the National ...
. In 2011, he was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame. In 2012, he was named to the NAIA 75th Anniversary All-Star Team. In 2014, he was inducted into the State of Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. In 2016, he was inducted into the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame.
Professional career
Los Angeles Lakers
Grant was selected by the 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 ...
in the first round (13th overall) of the 1972 NBA Draft. He also was selected by the Utah Stars
The Utah Stars were an American Basketball Association (ABA) team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround.
History prior to moving to ...
in the 1972 ABA draft. As a rookie, he was part of a team that included Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a Center (basketball), center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 yea ...
, Jerry West
Jerome Alan West (born May 28, 1938) is an American basketball executive and former player. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames included "Mr. Clutch", for his ability ...
, Gail Goodrich and Pat Riley
Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach, and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995, and he also se ...
. On October 30, 1973, he was waived to make room for the recently acquired power forward
The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...
Connie Hawkins
Cornelius Lance "Connie" Hawkins (July 17, 1942 – October 6, 2017) was an American professional basketball player. A New York City playground legend, "the Hawk"
was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.
Early ye ...
.
San Diego Conquistadors
On November 22, 1973, he signed with the San Diego Conquistadors
The San Diego Conquistadors (known as the San Diego Sails in their final, partial season), were an American Basketball Association (ABA) team based in San Diego. The "Q's", as they were popularly known, played from 1972 to 1975. As the Sails, the ...
in the American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...
, reuniting with Chamberlain, who was initially going to serve as a player/coach. He suffered a broken foot during the season. He averaged 15.3 points and 5.3 rebounds.
In the 1974–75 season, he compiled his best stats, when he averaged 25.2 points per game (fourth in the league) and 6.2 rebounds per game with a 54.4% field goal percentage, even though he suffered a knee injury. In November 1974, he made 17 of 23 field goal attempts and 11 free throws against the New York Nets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
.[
On October 2, 1975, he was traded to the ]Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of ...
in exchange for cash considerations and a third round draft choice.
Kentucky Colonels
In the 1975–76 season, he averaged 5.5 points and 1.8 rebounds. On January 12, 1976, he was traded to the 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 ...
, in exchange for cash considerations and a future draft choice.
Indiana Pacers
In 1976, the 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 ...
acquired Grant to provide depth after their leading scorer Billy Knight
William R. Knight (born June 9, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player and executive. Playing with the Indiana Pacers in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and later the National Basketball Association (NBA), he w ...
was lost to an injury. He averaged 9.6 points and 3.0 rebounds. He expected to play with the Pacers during the 1976–77 season, but couldn't reach a contract agreement.[ The contract problems also prevented the ]Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...
from inviting him to training camp.
Grant finished with a career field goal percentage of 52.4%, making 1,183 out of 2,257 shots for 2,767 points. He also registered 819 rebounds, 211 assists, 106 steals and 51 blocks.
Personal life
After his basketball career was over, he finished his degree and earned a master's degree at West Georgia University. He served 30 years as a teacher, coach and administrator, before retiring in 2010.
Legacy
The March 16, 2022 game between Southeastern Louisiana and South Alabama
South Alabama is the various parts of southern Alabama. Although it is not a strictly defined geographic region, it generally includes all Alabama counties south of the Black Belt. In that view, ''South Alabama'' consists of just the two counties ...
at The Basketball Classic
The Basketball Classic presented by ERACE is a single-elimination, fully-bracketed men's college basketball postseason tournament created in 2022 as successor to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, featuring 32 National Collegiate A ...
been designated the Travis Grant Game.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Travis
1950 births
Living people
African-American basketball players
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Alabama
Indiana Pacers players
Kentucky Colonels players
Kentucky State Thorobreds basketball players
Los Angeles Lakers draft picks
Los Angeles Lakers players
National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
People from Clayton, Alabama
San Diego Conquistadors players
Small forwards
Utah Stars draft picks
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American sportspeople