The Panathinaikos playmaker is a EuroLeague champion for the first time
Tribute to the champs: Jerian Grant
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The scion of a basketball dynasty, Jerian Grant made his first season with the Greens one to remember. The playmaker played a big role for Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens all season long and then stepped it up a notch at the Final Four to help the Greens return home with the trophy. His brand of suffocating defense, efficient shooting and heady leadership was as important on opening night as it was in the championship game.
Grant, whose brother Jerami just completed his 10th season in the NBA, whose father Harvey spent 11 seasons in the NBA and whose uncle Horace won four NBA championships, is the first member of the distinguished family to compete in the EuroLeague. He first came to Europe’s premier competition in 2001 with EA7 Emporio Armani Milan as a reserve.
The following season, Grant moved to Turk Telekom Ankara where his full range of talents were on display in the BKT EuroCup. He became the EuroCup MVP after leading Turk Telekom to the final. Coach Ergin Ataman dueled against Grant in Turkey and made him a key acquisition when the former took charge at Panathinaikos and Grant fit the team’s needs perfectly.
For the season, Grant averaged 8.6 points, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals in 41 games. He made 41.6% of his three-pointers and was third in the league in steals. Grant was one of Ataman’s most trusted players at the Final Four in Berlin. He scored 13 points in the semifinal win over Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and then tallied 11 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in the championship game against Real Madrid. Grant played the second-most minutes in the championship game (32:38) and led all players with a +/- of 18 to establish himself as a worthy champion.