Bryant Reeves
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Center |
|---|---|
| Height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Weight | 275 lb (125 kg) |
| Born | June 8, 1973 Fort Smith, Arkansas |
| Nationality | USA |
| College | Oklahoma State |
| Draft | 6th overall, 1995 Vancouver Grizzlies |
| Pro career | 1995–2001 |
| Former teams | Vancouver Grizzlies (1995–2001) |
Bryant Reeves (born June 8, 1973, in Fort Smith, Arkansas) is a former professional basketball player for the NBA's Vancouver Grizzlies. He was nicknamed Big Country for his size and the fact that he grew up in the very small Oklahoma town of Gans.
Standing 7 feet tall and weighing 275 pounds (2.13 m, 125 kg), Reeves was an imposing physical presence on the court and was primed to become a dominant center in the NBA. After a strong collegiate career with Oklahoma State University, where he averaged 21.5 points per game as a senior and led OSU to the 1995 Final Four, Reeves became the Grizzlies' first-ever draft choice, selected sixth overall in the 1995 NBA Draft.
Reeves played six seasons with the Grizzlies. After averaging 13.3 points per game in a solid rookie season, he averaged 16.2 points per game in 1997 and was subsequently awarded with a six-year, $61.8 million contract extension. The next season, 1997-1998, was his best, when he averaged 16.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.08 blocked shots per game. During that season, he scored a career-high 41 points against the Boston Celtics.
After 1998, weight-control problems and injuries began to take a toll on Reeves, and his numbers fell off dramatically. He was still starting at center for the Grizzlies, but his minutes per game dropped, and his field goal percentage dropped significantly. His contract was blamed for tying up valuable salary cap room, making it difficult for the Grizzlies to sign free agents. It also made him practically impossible to trade, as few teams had the salary cap room to fit his contract in. He became the object of scorn by Vancouver fans and media. His nickname "Big Country" was used derisively to describe both his high salary and his enormous girth, as he once showed up for training camp 40 pounds overweight.
Eventually, after the Grizzlies moved to Memphis, Tennessee, in 2001, Reeves started the season on the injured list due to chronic back pain and was never able to play another game (the only games he played with the team in Memphis were two preseason games). He retired from the league midway through the 2001-2002 season. [1]
