Danny Granger Jr. (born April 20, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player who played ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in 2005 after a two-year college stint at New Mexico. In 2009, Granger averaged 26 points per game on 45 percent shooting and was named an All-Star and the league's Most Improved Player. An injury to his left knee limited Granger to just five games during the 2012–13 season, and in February 2014, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. He went on to play for the Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat before having short stints with the Phoenix Suns and Detroit Pistons in 2015.
High school career
Granger attended Grace King High School in Metairie, Louisiana. A four-year letterman at Grace King, he averaged 24.3 points, 12 rebounds and 5.5 blocks per game as a senior. He was a McDonald's All-American nominee before his senior year. He scored a 30 on his ACT and was accepted to Yale University. Granger ultimately chose to attend and play college basketball at Bradley University in order to study Civil Engineering, which was not offered at Yale.
College career
Bradley (2001–2003)
Granger made the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman team for Bradley in 2001–02, averaging 11.1 points and 7.1 rebounds a game.
He transferred to New Mexico after the first semester of his sophomore season, having averaged 19.2 points and 7.9 rebounds for the Braves. including being "verbally abusive."
New Mexico (2003–2005)
Junior
Granger wasn't eligible to start playing for the Lobos until January 2004, but he averaged a career-best 19.5 points per game and also led the Lobos in rebounding, steals, and blocks as a junior in 2003–04. He became the first Lobos player to lead the team in all those categories in the same season and was awarded the Bob King Team MVP Award. He was the second Lobo in 33 years, and the fifth all-time, to average more than 19 points and nine rebounds for an entire season, joining Luc Longley, Willie Long, Mel Daniels and Ira Harge. A First Team All-Mountain West Conference selection, Granger was twice named the league's Player of the Week for the weeks ending December 22 and January 25. He set a franchise record by making 65 straight free throws (January 21 to February 22), breaking the record set by Reggie Miller in 2005. The new contract began in 2009–10, with incentives that could have pushed the total closer to $65 million.
thumb|Granger in December 2008, shooting a free throw
In 2008–09, Granger became the first player in NBA history to lift his scoring average at least five points per game in three consecutive seasons, and the first Indiana player to average more than 25 points per game in more than 30 years. He ranked fifth in the NBA with 25.8 points and was named the NBA's Most Improved Player. His average was the highest by an Indiana player since Billy Knight's single-season team record of 26.6 points per game in 1976–77. Granger scored 20 or more points in a career-high 16 straight games from December 15 to January 19, tying the longest streak in the Pacers' NBA history. In a three-game span from January 3 to 7, he scored 35 or more points in each game and is the only Pacers player to ever do so. In February 2009, he played in his first and only NBA All-Star Game. He missed a total of 15 games due to injury or illness, including 11 in February and March with a torn tendon in his right foot.
thumb|Granger (#33) in December 2011, attempting to block [[Luol Deng's shot]]
In the lockout-shortened 2011–12 season, Granger was the Pacers' leading scorer for the fifth consecutive season—his 18.7 points per game ranked 22nd best in the NBA. Indiana fans gave Granger a standing ovation on December 20 when he made his season debut in the first quarter of the Pacers' 114–81 win over the Houston Rockets, and chanted his name when he finally made his first basket, a 3-pointer, early in the fourth. He was bought out by the 76ers on February 26, and two days later, he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers for the rest of the season.
Miami Heat (2014–2015)
On July 14, 2014, Granger signed with the Miami Heat. On February 19, 2015, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns in a three-team trade involving the New Orleans Pelicans. However, due to knee problems, he did not play for the Suns in 2014–15. On July 9, 2015, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons, along with Reggie Bullock and Marcus Morris, in exchange for a 2020 second-round draft pick. He spent the preseason in Arizona rehabbing from knee and foot injuries, and on October 26, 2015, he was waived by the Pistons.
Career statistics
NBA
Regular season
|-
| align="left" |
| align="left" | Indiana
| 78 || 17 || 22.6 || .462 || .323 || .777 || 4.9 || 1.2 || .7 || .8 || 7.5
|-
| align="left" |
| align="left" | Indiana
| style="background:#cfecec;"| 82* || 57 || 34.0 || .459 || .382 || .803 || 4.6 || 1.4 || .8 || .7 || 13.9
|-
| align="left" |
| align="left" | Indiana
| 80 || 80 || 36.0 || .446 || .404 || .852 || 6.1 || 2.1 || 1.2 || 1.1 || 19.6
|-
| align="left" |
| align="left" | Indiana
| 67 || 66 || 36.2 || .447 || .404 || .878 || 5.1 || 2.7 || 1.0 || 1.4 || 25.8
|-
| align="left" |
| align="left" | Indiana
| 62 || 62 || 36.7 || .428 || .361 || .848 || 5.5 ||2.8 || 1.5 || .8 || 24.1
|-
| align="left" |
| align="left" | Indiana
| 79 || 79 || 35.0 || .425 || .386 || .848 || 5.4 || 2.6 || 1.1 || .8 || 20.5
|-
| align="left" |
| align="left" | Indiana
| 62 || 62 || 33.3 || .416 || .381 || .873 || 5.0 || 1.8 || 1.0 || .6 || 18.7
|-
| align="left" |
| align="left" | Indiana
| 5 || 0 || 14.8 || .286 || .200 || .625 || 1.8 || .6 || .4 || .2 || 5.4
|-
| align="left" rowspan=2|
| align="left" | Indiana
| 29 || 2 || 22.5 || .359 || .330 || .962 || 3.6 || 1.1 || .3 || .4 || 8.3
|-
| align="left" | L.A. Clippers
| 12 || 0 || 16.2 || .429 || .353 || .857 || 2.3 || .7 || .3 || .3 || 8.0
|-
| align="left" |
| align="left" | Miami
| 30 || 6 || 20.4 || .401 || .357 || .757 || 2.7 || .6 || .4 || .2 || 6.3
|-
| align="center" colspan="2" | Career
| 586 || 431 || 31.5 || .434 || .380 || .848 || 4.9 || 1.9 || 1.0 || .8 || 16.8
|-
| align="center" colspan="2" | All-Star
| 1 || 0 || 11.0 || 1.000 || .000 || .000 || 1.0 || .0 || 2.0 || .0 || 2.0
Playoffs
|-
| align="left" | 2006
| align="left" | Indiana
| 6 || 3 || 27.0 || .529 || .563 || 1.000 || 5.2 || 1.7 || .7 || 1.2 || 8.2
|-
| align="left" | 2011
| align="left" | Indiana
| 5 || 5 || 36.6 || .478 || .348 || .875 || 5.6 || 3.2 || 1.2 || .2 || 21.6
|-
| align="left" | 2012
| align="left" | Indiana
| 11 || 11 || 38.2 || .397 || .356 || .821 || 5.6 || 2.5 || .5 || .4 || 17.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2014
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Clippers
| 13 || 0 || 10.3 || .275 || .227 || .778 || 1.5 || .2 || .5 || .1 || 2.6
|-
| align="center" colspan="2" | Career
| 35 || 19 || 25.7 || .417 || .358 || .842 || 4.0 || 1.6 || .6 || .4 || 10.8
College
|-
| align="left" | 2001–02
| align="left" | Bradley
| 21 || 17 || 24.6 || .446 || .176 || .790 || 7.1 || .7 || 1.3 || 2.4 || 11.1
|-
| align="left" | 2002–03
| align="left" | Bradley
| 14 || 13 || 27.1 || .518 || .300 || .684 || 7.9 || 1.1 || 1.4 || 1.4 || 19.2
|-
| align="left" | 2003–04
| align="left" | New Mexico
| 22 || 22 || 32.0 || .491 || .333 || .760 || 9.0 || 2.1 || 1.3 || 1.4 || 19.5
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | New Mexico
| 30 || 30 || 30.0 || .524 || .433 || .755 || 8.9 || 2.4 || 2.1 || 2.0 || 18.8
|-
| align="center" colspan="2"| Career
| 95 || 82 || 28.4 || .496 || .366 || .752 || 8.2 || 1.6 || 1.6 || 1.9 || 16.7
Personal life
Granger was raised as a member of Jehovah's Witnesses. Granger's younger brother, Scotty, is a musical artist and songwriter. Granger is the great-nephew of the "Queen of Gospel", Mahalia Jackson.
Granger has a wife and three children.
Granger is actively involved in the "Dribble to Stop Diabetes" campaign due to his family's history with diabetes.
On the side, toward the end of his playing career, Granger built up a real estate investment company.
In January 2017, Granger began working as a studio and game analyst for the CBS Sports Network.
See also
References
External links
- Danny Granger at nba.com