28 Facts About Brian Grant

Brian Wade Grant was born on March 5,1972 and is an American former professional basketball player.

Brian Grant played the power forward and center positions for five teams during 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association.

Brian Grant was known for his tenacious rebounding and blue-collar defense.

Brian Grant played basketball at Georgetown High School, mostly in anonymity until Xavier University's basketball office began receiving anonymous calls stating that they should take a look at Grant.

Xavier assistant coach Dino Gaudio finally scouted Brian Grant, followed by visits from XU head coach Pete Gillen.

Brian Grant played basketball at Xavier University, but the anonymity quickly faded.

Brian Grant was twice named Midwest Collegiate Conference Player of the Year.

Brian Grant 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.

Brian 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.

Brian Grant was selected in the first round, eighth overall, in the 1994 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings.

The Kings lost in four games to the top-seeded Seattle SuperSonics in the first round, with Brian Grant averaging 9.8 points per game for the series.

Brian Grant opted out of the deal following the 1997 season to sign a six-year, $56 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Brian Grant averaged 13.2 points and 10.7 rebounds a game for the series.

Brian Grant started all 13 playoff games and averaged 13.2 points with 9.2 rebounds.

Brian Grant was used in a similar fashion against Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz in the second round, with Portland advancing in five games.

Brian Grant averaged 5.4 points and 5.8 rebounds throughout the 2000 playoff run.

Brian Grant made an appearance in a memorable Sega Dreamcast commercial in 1999 where he was seen talking to Sonic the Hedgehog character Tails.

The deal raised eyebrows, but Heat President and GM Pat Riley insisted that Brian Grant was the missing piece to the Heat's championship puzzle, along with other recently acquired players Eddie Jones and Anthony Mason.

Brian Grant averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds for the series.

Brian Grant started in 72 games for Miami averaging 9.3 points and 8.0 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 Brian 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.

Brian Grant finished the season 4th in total rebounds, 5th in defensive rebounds, and 10th in the league in field goal percentage at.

Brian Grant would be replaced by longtime assistant Stan Van Gundy.

Brian Grant started 76 games at center and averaged 8.7 points and 6.9 rebounds a game.

Brian Grant averaged 7.1 points and 8.6 rebounds a game throughout the postseason.

Brian Grant 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 in the Western Finals.

Brian Grant worked with Greg Oden in the 2009 off-season in Columbus, Ohio, for the purposes of adding more toughness, basketball smarts, and miscellaneous advice.

In November 2005, after talking with a neurologist at OHSU, Brian Grant was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's disease.