Jerai Grant to play for the Sydney Kings |
From the Daily Telegraph:
That's hard when your dad has played 11 seasons in the NBA and your uncle is an NBA champion and former All-Star.We never talked about his dad or uncle," Sydney Kings coach Ian Robilliard said of his phone conversations with Jerai. "His decision to come here is all about him building a name for himself. He thought coming here was the best way to do it. "With his dad and uncle, basketball is in his blood. But don't let his family history belie his skill or work ethic." The other reason he's coming to Sydney is the NBA lockout. In an ordinary year, where NBA players aren't on strike, it would have been near impossible for an Australian team to recruit someone as talented as Grant, who averaged 12.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in his final year at Clemson. "He's certainly on the NBA radar." Robilliard said. "I've always thought we have a huge responsibility to our players to develop them further. That he's close to the NBA is obvious, so we've got a responsibility to build his game and try to get him there. "He'll be a force on the boards. His wingspan is huge, his reach takes up a lot of space. "I'll breathe a huge sigh of relief when he actually gets here."
But his decision to play for the Kings has a lot to do with his desire to escape the constant comparisons with his family.
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