The Throwback: Where in the World is Bryant "Big Country" Reeves?

The return of NBA basketball to Vancouver last night sparked some memories of the Vancouver Grizzlies. Eric Smith blogged about it on the FAN590.com yesterday: "The worst trade in NBA history: Vancouver for Memphis!" When you mention the Vancouver Grizzlies, Canadian hoop heads get bitter. Why? There was a series of failures with the Canadian NBA franchise: the Steve Francis fiasco, the NBA lockout, the ugly uniforms (see above), the team's move to Memphis and the Grizzlies' first ever draft pick:

Bryant "Big Country" Reeves.

After six seasons as a Grizzly, "Big Country" retired from the NBA in 2001 at the ripe old age of 28, with chronic back pain. The big man from Gans, Oklahoma (population 208) was a big scorer at Oklahoma State University and also a great rebounder. At OSU, he played against the likes of Tim Duncan back in '95. When watching the old Duncan/Reeves matchup video on Youtube, it's hard to believe that at that time, Tim Duncan and Bryant Reeves were playing at the same level in their college career. However, after joining the NBA, their careers went into two entirely different directions. Reeves wasn't much of an exciting NBA player to watch but he did have a decent career in his first few seasons. His career fizzled out quickly, just like the team's stay in Vancouver. After the NBA lockout, Reeves had struggles with his weight leading to injuries, forcing him to call it quits in '01.....

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