Bryant Reeves facts for kids
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 8, 1973 Fort Smith, Arkansas, U.S. |
| High school | Gans (Gans, Oklahoma) |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 290 lb (132 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Oklahoma State (1991–1995) |
| NBA Draft | 1995 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall |
| Selected by the Vancouver Grizzlies | |
| Pro career | 1995–2002 |
| Career history | |
| 1995–2002 | Vancouver / Memphis Grizzlies |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 4,945 (12.5 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,745 (6.9 rpg) |
| Blocks | 302 (0.8 bpg) |
Bryant Reeves (born June 8, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player. He played his entire career with the National Basketball Association's Vancouver Grizzlies team. He was with the team from 1995 until 2001.
Bryant was given the nickname "Big Country" by his college teammate Byron Houston. This happened after Bryant was amazed by how big the United States was during his first airplane trip across the country. He had grown up in a small town called Gans, Oklahoma.
Contents
College Basketball Star
Bryant Reeves was a very tall player, standing 7 feet (210 cm) (about 213 cm) tall. He weighed between 275 and 300 pounds (125 and 136 kg) (about 125 to 136 kg). This made him a strong player on the basketball court.
He had a great college career playing for Oklahoma State University. In his final year, he scored an average of 21.5 points per game. He also helped lead his team to the Final Four in 1995. This is a very important part of the college basketball championship.
Playing for the Grizzlies
Becoming a Pro
After his successful college career, Bryant Reeves was chosen by the Vancouver Grizzlies. He was their very first player picked in the 1995 NBA draft. He was the sixth player chosen overall in that draft.
Early Career Highlights
Bryant played for the Grizzlies for six seasons. In his first year, the 1995–96 season, he played well, scoring 13.3 points per game. The next year, in the 1996–97 season, he improved even more, averaging 16.2 points per game.
His best season was the 1997–98 season. During this time, he averaged 16.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.08 blocked shots per game. He even scored a career-high 41 points in one game against the Boston Celtics. Bryant was the first player for the Grizzlies to wear the number 50 jersey.
Facing Challenges
After 1998, Bryant started to have problems with his weight and injuries. These issues began to affect his playing. Even though he was still the starting center for the Grizzlies, his playing time went down. His shooting percentage also dropped quite a bit.
Eventually, the Grizzlies team moved from Vancouver to Memphis, Tennessee in 2001. Bryant started the 2001–02 season on the injured list because of ongoing back pain. He was not able to play in any regular season games for the team in Memphis. He only played in two preseason games.
On January 29, 2002, the Grizzlies announced that Bryant Reeves was retiring from the NBA. This was due to his ongoing back pain caused by problems with his spine. At that time, he had played in 395 games for the Grizzlies, which was more than any other player in the team's history.
NBA Career Numbers
Bryant Reeves played a total of 395 games in his NBA career. He averaged 12.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game. His best season for scoring was 1997-98, when he averaged 16.3 points per game. He was known for his strong presence in the paint.
Life After Basketball
After his basketball career, Bryant Reeves returned to Oklahoma. He is now a cattle farmer and lives on a ranch in Sequoyah County with his family.
In 2018, a documentary film called Finding Big Country was made about him by Kathleen Jayme. Bryant's son, Trey, also played college basketball at Oklahoma State. He later went on to study at Harvard Law School.
See also
In Spanish: Bryant Reeves para niños
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2000 points and 1000 rebounds
