NBA Career
Grant was drafted in the first round, eighth overall, in the 1994 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. He signed a 5-year, 29 million dollar contract.
Grant opted out of the deal following the 1997 season to sign a 7-year, $56 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers. 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.
In the summer of 2000 Grant signed a mega-deal with Miami: 7 years, $86 million, despite coming off season averages of 7.5 ppg and 5.5 rpgg. The deal raised eyebrows, but Heat GM Pat Riley insisted that Grant was the missing piece to the Heat's championship puzzle. 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, despite having to play out of position at center - his traditional position was power forward.
During the summer of 2004, he was traded (along with Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, and a future first-round draft pick) to the Lakers in exchange for Shaquille O'Neal. Grant was released the following off-season and signed with Phoenix. He was traded in the 2006 NBA Draft to the Boston Celtics with the rights to Rajon Rondo 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.
He is nicknamed "The General" after growing up in the same town of Georgetown, Ohio as Civil War Union general and President Ulysses S. Grant.
Brian worked with Greg Oden in the 2009 off-season in Columbus, Ohio for the purposes of adding more toughness, basketball smarts, and miscellaneous advice.
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“It is a great many years since at the outset of my career I had to think seriously what life had to offer that was worth having. I came to the conclusion that the chief good for me was freedom to learn, think, and say what I pleased, when I pleased. I have acted on that conviction... and though strongly, and perhaps wisely, warned that I should probably come to grief, I am entirely satisfied with the results of the line of action I have adopted.”
—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95)