featured-image

DO YOU KNOW DANNY GRANGER?

Here are five things you may or may not have known about new Clippers forward Danny Granger:

1. Granger won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey. The United States went 9-0 in the tournament, defeating Turkey in the final, 81-64. Granger played just one minute in the gold medal game, but his current Clippers teammate Hedo Turkoglu had 16 points in 23 minutes in a losing effort. Granger appeared in seven tournament games, including scoring 10 points with three assists in an 88-51 win over Iran during group play.

2. He is an avid fan of the “Star Wars” franchise. While most fans of the series typically prefer episodes four through six, Granger said his favorite two are “Episode 2: Attack of the Clones” and “Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith.” The original three episodes (“A New Hope,” “Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi”) were released from 1977 to 1983. Return of the Jedi came out a month after Granger was born.

3. Granger transferred from Bradley University, where he played two seasons, to New Mexico in 2003. He became the first player in school history to have 60 assists, 60 steals and 60 blocked shots in a season and won the Mountain West Conference MVP. At New Mexico, he played for coach Bob King, whose father coached Larry Bird at Indiana State. As an executive with the Pacers, Bird went on to draft Granger as the No. 17 pick in 2005.

4. Granger’s younger brother, Scotty, was a finalist in the Bravo reality songwriting competition “Platinum Hit.” In the finale of the show he sang his own composition “Beautiful You.” Scotty, also known as Scotty Grand, resides in Los Angeles where Danny also has an offseason home.

5. He has worn jersey No. 33 his entire NBA career. In a Q&A on ESPN.com he said chose the number because he grew up a fan of the Chicago Bulls. His cousin, Mike, always wanted to be like Michael Jordan, and chose No. 23, so Granger elected to go with Scottie Pippen’s number. He has stuck with it since college.