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Center | |
Personal information | |
Date of birth | September 10, 1969 |
Place of birth | Salem, Massachusetts |
Nationality | American |
High school | Countryside (Clearwater, Florida) |
Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
Listed weight | 243 lb (110 kg) |
Career information | |
College | Auburn (1987–1989) Georgia Tech (1990–1992) |
NBA Draft | 1992 / Round: 2 / Pick: 42nd overall |
Selected by the Miami Heat | |
Pro career | 1992–2002 |
Career history | |
1992–1995 | Miami Heat |
1995–1998 | Charlotte Hornets |
1999–2002 | Philadelphia 76ers |
Career NBA statistics | |
Points | 5,059 (9.2 ppg) |
Rebounds | 3,158 (5.7 rpg) |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com |
Matthew Allen "Matt" Geiger (September 10, 1969 in Salem, Massachusetts) is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association on the center position.
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Geiger played for Countryside High School in Clearwater, Florida and was recruited to play college basketball at Auburn University. He played with Auburn before transferring to Georgia Tech for more playing time.
His successful college career led Geiger to be selected by the Miami Heat in the second round (42nd pick overall) of the 1992 NBA Draft. He played in the NBA for 10 seasons from 1992–2002 with 3 teams: Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, and Philadelphia 76ers.[1] His main assets were considered to be his mid-range jump shot and his rebounding skills.
In the summer of 2000, Matt Geiger's refusal to waive a trade kicker clause in his contract stopped a four-team deal between Philadelphia, the Hornets, the Detroit Pistons and the L.A. Lakers that would have sent All-Star player Allen Iverson to the Pistons.[2] He was suspended for two games during the 2000-01 season for a violation of the NBA/NBPA's steroid policy.[3]
Geiger signed a $5 million dollar contract in 2001 with the Philadelphia 76ers but knee injuries forced him to retire in 2002. For his career, he averaged 9.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Geiger currently resides in Tarpon Springs, Florida where he is a real estate investor. His 28,000-square-foot (2,600 m2) estate, reported as the largest in the county,[4] sold on January 3, 2011 for 8 million dollars. The estate was originally listed for 20 million dollars and was on the market for four years.[5]The Punisher used this home as the residence of John Travolta's character Mr. Saint.
In January 1992, during Geiger's senior year at Georgia Tech, his fraternal twin Mark Geiger was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease at the age of 22.[6] Because his brother lost his hair during chemotherapy, Matt Geiger shaved his head during his NBA career in support of his brother.[7]
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