Danny Granger Jr. (born April 20, 1983) 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 who played ten seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, 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 i ...

(NBA). He was drafted by 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 estab ...

in 2005 after a two-year college stint at

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

. In 2009, Granger averaged 26 points per game on 45 percent shooting and was named an All-Star and the league's Most Improved Player. An injury to his left knee limited Granger to just five games during the 2012–13 season, and in February 2014, he was traded to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

. He went on to play for the

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

and

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

before having short stints with the

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 ...

and

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

in 2015.

High school career

Granger attended

Grace King High School Grace King High School is a public high school located in Metairie, unincorporated Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is a part of the Jefferson Parish Public Schools and serves portions of Metairie and Kenner.

Metairie, Louisiana Metairie ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and is part of the New Orleans metropolitan area. With a population of 143,507 in 2020, Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish and was (a ...

. A four-year letterman at Grace King, he averaged 24.3 points, 12 rebounds and 5.5 blocks per game as a senior. He was a McDonald's All-American nominee before his senior year. He scored a 30 on his ACT and was accepted to

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

College career

Granger made the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

All-Freshman team for Bradley in 2001–02, averaging 11.1 points and 7.1 rebounds a game. He was a highly publicized transfer to

after the first semester of his sophomore season, having averaged 19.2 points and 7.9 rebounds for the Braves. He wasn't eligible to start playing for the Lobos until January 2004. He said the reason for the transfer was because of Braves head coach Jim Les's intimidating tactics, including being 'verbally abusive'. Granger averaged a career-best 19.5 points per game and also led the Lobos in rebounding (9.0 rpg), steals (1.32 spg) and blocks (1.41 bpg) as a junior in 2003–04. He became the first Lobos player to lead the team in all those categories in the same season and was awarded the Bob King Team MVP Award. He also became just the second Lobo in 33 years, and the fifth all-time, to average more than 19 points and nine rebounds for an entire season, joining Luc Longley, Willie Long, Mel Daniels and

Ira Harge Ira Lee Harge (born March 14, 1941) is a retired American professional basketball player. Born in Anguilla, Mississippi, Harge played high school basketball in Detroit, Michigan before starring in college at the University of New Mexico. He playe ...

. A First Team All-

Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is one of the collegiate athletic conferences affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) (formerly I-A). The MW officially began operations ...

selection, Granger was twice named the league's Player of the Week for the weeks ending December 22 and January 25. As a senior in 2004–05, Granger was the only player in the NCAA to average at least 18.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, while also averaging at least 2.0 blocks (2.1), 2.0 steals (2.0) and 2.0 assists (2.0). He led the team in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocked shots for the second year in a row. He became the first player in school history to record 60+ assists, blocks and steals in a season. In 52 games, he registered 91 career blocked shots, ranking sixth all-time in New Mexico history. He fell just six points short of 1,000 in his New Mexico career, and for the second year in a row, he was given the Bob King Team MVP Award. He was named the MWC tournament MVP and earned First Team All-Mountain West honors for the second straight year. He was also runner-up to

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

's Andrew Bogut as MWC Player of the Year.

College career statistics

, - , align="left" , 2001–02 , align="left" rowspan=2, Bradley , 21 , , 17 , , 24.6 , , .446 , , .176 , , .790 , , 7.1 , , .7 , , 1.3 , , 2.4 , , 11.1 , - , align="left" , 2002–03 , 14 , , 13 , , 27.1 , , .518 , , .300 , , .684 , , 7.9 , , 1.1 , , 1.4 , , 1.4 , , 19.2 , - , align="left" , 2003–04 , align="left" rowspan=2,

, 22 , , 22 , , 32.0 , , .491 , , .333 , , .760 , , 9.0 , , 2.1 , , 1.3 , , 1.4 , , 19.5 , - , align="left" , 2004–05 , 30 , , 30 , , 30.0 , , .524 , , .433 , , .755 , , 8.9 , , 2.4 , , 2.1 , , 2.0 , , 18.8 , - , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 95 , , 82 , , 28.4 , , .496 , , .366 , , .752 , , 8.2 , , 1.6 , , 1.6 , , 1.9 , , 16.7

NBA career

Indiana Pacers (2005–2014)

Early years (2005–07)

Granger was selected 17th overall in the 2005 NBA draft by the

. He was named to the

NBA All-Rookie Second Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for playe ...

after averaging 7.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in 78 games. He was a starter in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge during All-Star Weekend in Houston on February 17, 2006, where he had nine points, three rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot in six minutes, and shot 2-of-4 from 3-point range. In 2006–07, Granger became one of only four Pacers players to hit 100+ 3-point field goals in a season in the previous 15 years. He led Indiana with 110, after making just 30 3-pointers in his rookie season. He was the only Pacers player to see action in all 82 games; he started 57 games, including the first 14 and 42 of the last 44 games.

Perennial team scoring leader (2007–12)

In 2007–08, Granger was the team's leading scorer with an average of 19.6 points per game. On November 5, 2007, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Tuesday, October 30 through Sunday, November 4. It was his first and only NBA Player of the Week honor. He set a franchise record by making 65 straight free throws (January 21 to February 22), breaking the record set by

Reggie Miller Reginald Wayne Miller (born August 24, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Indiana Pacers. Miller was known for his precision three-p ...

in 2005. On October 31, 2008, Granger signed a five-year contract extension with the Pacers believed to be worth a guaranteed $60 million. The new contract began in 2009–10, with incentives that could have pushed the total closer to $65 million. Danny Granger

In 2008–09, Granger became the first player in NBA history to lift his scoring average at least five points per game in three consecutive seasons, and the first Indiana player to average more than 25 points per game in more than 30 years. He ranked fifth in the NBA with 25.8 points and was named the NBA's Most Improved Player. His average was the highest by an Indiana player since Billy Knight's single-season team record of 26.6 points per game in 1976–77. Granger scored 20 or more points in a career-high 16 straight games from December 15 to January 19, tying the longest streak in the Pacers' NBA history. In a three-game span from January 3 to 7, he scored 35 or more points in each game and is the only Pacers player to ever do so. In February 2009, he played in his first and only

NBA All-Star Game The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is a basketball exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's star players. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, ...

. He missed a total of 15 games due to injury or illness, including 11 in February and March with a torn tendon in his right foot. In 2009–10, Granger led the Pacers with 24.1 points per game, eighth best in the NBA and third best in the Eastern Conference. He scored 20 or more points in 45 of 62 appearances and scored 30+ points 16 times. He tallied a career-high 44 points against the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

on March 26, 2010. He missed a total of 18 games due to injury or illness, including 16 straight in December and January with a torn plantar fascia in his right foot. In the summer of 2010, Granger won gold as a member of the US national team at the

2010 FIBA World Championship The 2010 FIBA World Championship was the 16th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from 28 August to 12 September 2010. It was co-organised by the Inte ...

. In 2010–11, Granger was the Pacers' leading scorer for the fourth season in a row, with 20.5 points per game, which was 16th best in the NBA and his third consecutive season of 20+ points per game. He scored in double figures in all but four games and tallied 20 or more points 39 times with 30+ points nine times. On January 2, 2011, he grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds in a 98–92 loss to the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

In the lockout-shortened 2011–12 season, Granger was the Pacers' leading scorer for the fifth consecutive season—his 18.7 points per game ranked 22nd best in the NBA.

Injury-riddled end to Pacers tenure (2012–14)

Granger missed the first 55 games of the 2012–13 season with tendinosis of the left knee. He played five games between February 23 and March 3 before being placed back on the inactive list and eventually having surgery on the knee on April 4. Granger missed the first 25 games of the 2013–14 season with a strained left calf. Indiana fans gave Granger a standing ovation on December 20 when he made his season debut in the first quarter of the Pacers' 114–81 win over the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

, and chanted his name when he finally made his first basket, a 3-pointer, early in the fourth. He appeared in 29 games (2 starts) for the Pacers in 2013–14, averaging 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 22.5 minutes per game.

Los Angeles Clippers (2014)

On February 20, 2014, Granger was traded, along with a 2015 second-round pick, to the

in exchange for Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen. He was bought out by the 76ers on February 26, and two days later, he signed with the

for the rest of the season.

Miami Heat (2014–2015)

On July 14, 2014, Granger signed with the

. On February 19, 2015, he was traded to the

in a three-team trade involving the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

. However, due to knee problems, he did not play for the Suns in 2014–15. On July 9, 2015, he was traded to the

, along with

Reggie Bullock Reginald Ryedell Bullock (born March 16, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels before being selecte ...

and

Marcus Morris Marcus Thomas Morris Sr. (born September 2, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The forward played college basketball at Kansas before being drafted 14t ...

, in exchange for a 2020 second-round draft pick. He spent the preseason in Arizona rehabbing from knee and foot injuries, and on October 26, 2015, he was waived by the Pistons.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, 78 , , 17 , , 22.6 , , .462 , , .323 , , .777 , , 4.9 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , .8 , , 7.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 57 , , 34.0 , , .459 , , .382 , , .803 , , 4.6 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , .7 , , 13.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 80 , , 80 , , 36.0 , , .446 , , .404 , , .852 , , 6.1 , , 2.1 , , 1.2 , , 1.1 , , 19.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 67 , , 66 , , 36.2 , , .447 , , .404 , , .878 , , 5.1 , , 2.7 , , 1.0 , , 1.4 , , 25.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 62 , , 62 , , 36.7 , , .428 , , .361 , , .848 , , 5.5 , , 2.8 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , 24.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 79 , , 79 , , 35.0 , , .425 , , .386 , , .848 , , 5.4 , , 2.6 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , 20.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 62 , , 62 , , 33.3 , , .416 , , .381 , , .873 , , 5.0 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 18.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 5 , , 0 , , 14.8 , , .286 , , .200 , , .625 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .4 , , .2 , , 5.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 29 , , 2 , , 22.5 , , .359 , , .330 , , .962 , , 3.6 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .4 , , 8.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Clippers , 12 , , 0 , , 16.2 , , .429 , , .353 , , .857 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .3 , , .3 , , 8.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, 30 , , 6 , , 20.4 , , .401 , , .357 , , .757 , , 2.7 , , .6 , , .4 , , .2 , , 6.3 , - , align="center" colspan="2" , Career , 586 , , 431 , , 31.5 , , .434 , , .380 , , .848 , , 4.9 , , 1.9 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 16.8 , - , align="center" colspan="2" , All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 11.0 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , 2.0

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...

, align="left" ,

, 6 , , 3 , , 27.0 , , .529 , , .563 , , 1.000 , , 5.2 , , 1.7 , , .7 , , 1.2 , , 8.2 , - , align="left" ,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

, align="left" ,

, 5 , , 5 , , 36.6 , , .478 , , .348 , , .875 , , 5.6 , , 3.2 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 21.6 , - , align="left" ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, align="left" ,

, 11 , , 11 , , 38.2 , , .397 , , .356 , , .821 , , 5.6 , , 2.5 , , .5 , , .4 , , 17.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 13 , , 0 , , 10.3 , , .275 , , .227 , , .778 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , .5 , , .1 , , 2.6 , - , align="center" colspan="2" , Career , 35 , , 19 , , 25.7 , , .417 , , .358 , , .842 , , 4.0 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , .4 , , 10.8

Personal life

Granger was raised in a religious household by

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...

. Granger's younger brother, Scotty, is a musical artist and songwriter. Granger is the great-nephew of the "Queen of Gospel",

Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson ( ; born Mahala Jackson; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was integral to t ...

. Granger has a wife and three children. Granger is actively involved in the "Dribble to Stop Diabetes" campaign due to his family's history with diabetes. On the side, toward the end of his playing career, Granger built up a

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...

investment company. In January 2017, Granger began working as a studio and game analyst for the

CBS Sports Network CBS Sports Network (a.k.a. CBSSN) is an American pay television network owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. When it launched in 2002 as the National College Sports Network (later College Sports Television also known ...

. In April 2017, Granger was inducted into New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame.

References

External links

Danny Granger
at nba.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Granger, Danny 1983 births Living people African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from New Orleans Bradley Braves men's basketball players FIBA World Championship-winning players Grace King High School alumni Indiana Pacers draft picks Indiana Pacers players Los Angeles Clippers players Miami Heat players National Basketball Association All-Stars New Mexico Lobos men's basketball players People from Metairie, Louisiana Small forwards United States men's national basketball team players 2010 FIBA World Championship players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people

High school career

College career

College career statistics

NBA career

Indiana Pacers (2005–2014)

Early years (2005–07)

Perennial team scoring leader (2007–12)

Injury-riddled end to Pacers tenure (2012–14)

Los Angeles Clippers (2014)

Miami Heat (2014–2015)

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life

See also

References

External links