Brian Grant

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

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 and Anthony Mason. Weeks before the start of the season Miami's all-star center Alonzo Mourning 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 first round by the younger Charlotte Hornets. 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 8.0 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 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 in the draft to join sophomore Caron Butler before acquiring free agent Lamar Odom 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. 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 playoffs, the Heat defeated the New Orl

In Their Own Story

The narrative of Grant's time in Miami was defined by his willingness to sacrifice personal stats for the team's structural integrity. In the 2003–2004 playoffs, facing the top-seeded Indiana Pacers, the Heat found themselves down two games before tying the series with a home victory led specifically by Grant's 16 rebounds in Game 3. Although the Pacers eventually won the next two games to advance, Grant's performance throughout the postseason was consistent, averaging 7.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. His role evolved from a primary scoring option in his first year to a defensive stalwart and rebounding hub as the team integrated young talent like Dwyane Wade and Lamar Odom. This period highlighted his value not just as a scorer, but as a stabilizing force who could start 76 games at center while averaging 8.7 points and 6.9 rebounds.

Reader's Guide

During the summer of 2004, the Heat traded Grant (along with Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, and a future first-round draft pick) to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for superstar Shaquille O'Neal. Grant would play one year for the rebuilding Lakers, playing in a total of 69 games and starting in eight with career-low averages of 3.8 points and 3.7 rebounds a game. 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.

Did You Know?

• Grant grew up in Georgetown, Ohio, and worked on farms during summers cutting, housing, and stripping tobacco, digging potatoes and baling hay.
• He was selected 8th overall in the 1994 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings.
• Grant made an appearance in a Sega Dreamcast commercial in 1999 talking to the character Tails.
• He was inducted into the Xavier Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999 and had his jersey retired in 2011.