Ok so if your from Boston, it doesn’t mean that every person will have Larry Bird as their GOAT. Many of the older fans probably will have Bird as their GOAT and others very appropriately will have a Bill Russel who won 8 NBA titles as a player and is unfortunately too often forgotten in the GOAT conversation. It’s no surprise that aKellan Grady(196-G-1997, college:Kentucky) who hails from Boston and is 26 years old sees more eye to eye with the incredible Michael Jordan as most do or a Lebron James as these 2 dominate the GOAT talk. But these days there is even a third amazing player that is appearing a lot more in player’s NBA Mount Rushmore’s and could easily be the GOAT for those fellow snipers out there with Steph Curry. Grady had the special privilege of playing at Davidson for 3 seasons the school that Steph Curry attended before becoming a NBA superstar. Grady had the great opportunity to have met Curry on many occasions and also has the utmost respect for Larry Legend. ‘I’ve been around Steph a lot of times. We met when I was 14 years old at a Davidson Duke game during the NBA lockout when his brother was playing for Duke but he also came to Davidson once a year when I was playing for Davidson. I was also fortunate enough to be able to work out with him a few times in the summer at his SC30 camps. He is an exemplary figure for Davidson and had a tremendous career there. He helped set a standard of excellence at Davidson and it meant a lot to my teammates and I to try to maintain that standard and be the best versions of ourselves. I’m very familiar with Larry Bird and the 80’s Celtics from tons of testimony from my father (who is a big Celtics fan) watching NBA Hardwood classics as a kid and from documentaries. With that said though, I do not consider him the GOAT albeit still a fantastic player and a true legend who I consider top 10 of all time. His legacy will live forever not only in Boston but in the NBA conversation’, stressedKellan Grady. At least for now,Kellan Gradywill always keep the memories of Bird and Curry in his mind, but his biggest concern at the moment is his new job with German easyCredit BBL team MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg. There the 3 level scorer will show his pride in in team defense that will translate very well with the MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg.
Kellan Gradywho lists Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as his toughest player that he faced in the NCAA was born on September 11, 1997 in Boston Massachusetts. He played 3 seasons at Catholic Memorial and was named to the Boston Herald Dream Team. He then played a season at prep school Northfield Mount Herman. He made a name for himself in this time picking up numerous awards like HS Catholic Conference All-Star Team -2014, 15, 16, HS first-team All-State -2016, HS ESPN Boston first-team All-State -2016, HS Boston Globe All-Scholastic Team -2016, HS NEPSAC Class AAA Honorable Mention -2016, HS National Prep Championship Finalist -2017, HS NEPSAC first-team all-Conference -2017, and McDonald’s All-Americans Games Nominee -2017. He then played at Davidson College (NCAA) from 2017-2021 playing a total of 114 NCAA games. He had incredible scoring consistency averaging 18,0ppg as a freshman and 17,0ppg in his last 3 years. His consistency was incredible as he scored in double figures in 97 of 114 games. He scored 20 points or more 46 times. In his first game he scored 23 points against Charleston Southern hitting 7 three’s. Other great scoring games occurred against St Bonaventure where he drilled home 39 points or 32 points against GMU and 31 points against Lipscomb. He won the Atlantic 10 title in 2018 against Rhode Island and reached March Madness as a Freshman losing 78-73 against his future school Kentucky and poured home 16 points and future NBA superstar Shai Gilgeous Alexander added 19 points. ‘I remember it being a challenge guarding Shai, but I thought I held my own. He has blossomed into one of the best players in the NBA and it’s been a joy to see his development. I expect him to continue playing at an ALL NBA level for the foreseeable future’, warnedKellan Grady. At Davidson he was teammates with ex easyCredit BBL player Jon Axel Gudmundsson another fellow sniper and it is no secret that they had many shooting contests. ‘Jonnny and I are good friends and still stay in touch. We had a lot of great moments together and loved playing together. I won shooting contests. Of course I’m going say that. If you ask him, he’ll say he won. We were very competitive and it brought the best out of us’, rememberedKellan Grady. His development would never have run as smoothly without the incredible guidance by legendary coach Bob Mckillop. ‘He not only had a huge impact on me as a player but also in life. I learned so much under his tutelage and I’m grateful to have been able to play for him. TCC: Trust Commitment & Care was the honor of our program, it’s what guided us & those are three words that have had a huge impact on my life. He instilled tremendous values in us as young men and held us accountable. He really helped me as a player’, statedKellan Grady. He then added a fifth season at the famous NCAA powerhouse Kentucky where he was coached by another legendary coach with John Calipari. ‘It was a joy. It’s crazy to think that a global pandemic, despite how tragic and devastating it was for so many, could bring opportunities at the same time. Kentucky was that opportunity for me. Playing for Coach Cal was an awesome experience. He always would say he wanted guys who would fight and work hard. I always took that to heart and have taken it with me’, stressedKellan Grady. At Kentucky he averaged 11.4ppg, 2.1rpg, 1.3apg, FGP: 51.6%, 3PT: 41.5%, FT: 74.4%. He scored in double figures 17 times including 25 points against Alabama and 23 points against WKU. He also picked up many awards in the NCAA like All-Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year -2018, All-Atlantic 10 Second Team -2018, 20, Atlantic 10 All-Tournament Team -2018, 21, Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team -2018, All-Atlantic 10 First Team -2019, 21, NABC Division I All-District 4 First Team -2019, and NABC Division I All-District 4 Second Team -2021
The sniper who lists Rusty Reigel, Kishawn Pritchett , Carter Collins , Ty Ty Washington , and Ian Sistare as his 5 best teammates of all-time played NBA Summer League in Las Vegas with Denver averaging 5,5ppg, 1,3rpg and 1,3apg. He then played his rookie season with the Grand Rapids Gold (NBA G League) averaging 12.2ppg, 3.2rpg, 2.5apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 55.5%, 3PT: 34.3%. He remembered it not always being easy playing against pro’s every day opposed to college guys, but he still had a very solid rookie season. He scored in double figures 27 times while averaging 31 minutes. Unfortunately for him, it still wasn’t enough for NBA call up and he wasn’t sure if he was on the NBA’s radar either. ‘I can’t answer that faithfully because I simply do not know. I am not an NBA executive. I do know that I gave it my best shot and worked to be the best player I could be. My goal is to be the best pro I can be & that requires a high level of play and consistency’, commentedKellan Grady. He also had the great opportunity to be teammates with NBA champion and Lebron Teammate Norris Cole. He couldn’t have asked for a better teammate than him. ‘ Norris Cole took me and others under his wing. .He was an awesome influence on all of us and is a great guy’, expressedKellan Grady. He played his second professional season overseas with Chorale de Roanne Basket (France-Betclic ELITE ProA) averaging 8.4ppg, 1.4rpg, 1.9apg, FGP: 62.8%, 3PT: 29.2%, FT: 69.2%. It isn’t always easy coming to terms with a new culture, but he managed. ‘In Roanne, english proficiency was mediocre at best, so I quickly had to adapt to the culture and try to immerse myself in that space and do my best with the language’, saidKellan Grady. On the court, he also had ups and downs, but the whole experience was positive. ‘It was a great experience & I learned a lot. We had a very up and down year and faced a lot of adversity and roster changes. It was hard for us to really develop a culture given all that we faced throughout the year but despite that I learned a lot and played with some high character people’, addedKellan Grady. He scored in double figures 17 times and will never forget the crazy 83-81 win over Blois where teammate Jordan Tucker shot the buzzer beater. ‘That was the most incredible game winning shot I have ever seen. It looked good the whole way from my vantage point. Jordan and I are very close friends so I was happy and excited for him’, statedKellan Grady.
The Boston native who lists Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry and Larry Bird on his personal NBA Mount Rushmore has started a new challenge in the easyCredit BBL with the MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg. He definitely did his home work before coming to Germany. ‘I know Germany is considered one of the strongest and most prominent countries in Europe with a rich cultural tradition. I know that Germans are fond of their sports, basketball included. The German league is a very impressive league and one of the most competitive in Europe. I’m very excited to be a part of it’, expressedKellan Grady. One could say that head coach John Patrick was a very big reason for him choosing Ludwigsburg as his new home. ‘When my agent, John Noonan presented Ludwigsburg to me as a potential landing spot I was very excited. I have tremendous respect for John Patrick and his success in the past. He has developed and maintained a winning tradition in his career and his teams are always in the playoffs and very competitive. He is a highly respected coach and his teams play the right way and share the ball- something that is very important to me. And with regards to playing international club ball, that was an important aspect of my decision to play for Ludwigsburg. It provides for a more demanding and competitive environment wherein you are playing against of plethora of different teams and play styles as we compete against countries outside of Germany. It is a very exciting opportunity. Coach and I had a great conversation, one of the best I’ve ever had with a coach. We talked the importance of strong team culture, playing hard and competing for one another while also talking basketball philosophy and purpose. I really appreciated his approach to the game which seems very centered around defending, sharing the ball and being aggressive in a collective attempt to get good shots’, stressedKellan Grady. The first thing that stands out with his game is his prolific scoring and three points shooting. But is he already a 3 level scorer? ‘I like to think so. I didn’t shoot the ball as well last year in Roanne, but I think my body of work as a player speaks for itself and I am a capable scorer at all three levels’, warnedKellan Grady. He eclipsed the 40% mark from outside at Kentucky, but knows to do it in consistently overseas at a high level won’t be a cake walk. ‘The game is different and the defense is better. For me, it’s about maximizing my opportunities in games & that comes from preparation and repetition in practice’, stressedKellan Grady. But he won’t only shine on the offensive end, but also want to make an impact on the defensive end, a place where the MHP Riesen always want to sparkle at. ‘I’ve always taken a lot of pride in my individual defense but to me, what is more rewarding is team defense. I have been on teams where all 5 guys really prided themselves on being the best, cohesive defense unit we could be. When you can achieve that as a group, the sky is the limit’, warnedKellan Grady. At the moment he also continues to improve in all areas of his game so he will be 100% prepared for the start of the season. John Patrick lauded 3 parts of his game as being his strongest with being a go to guy, strong defensive player and leader. Is one stronger than the others? ‘I like to think all 3 of them. I try not to pigeon hole myself into a singular role or quality. My goal is to be the best player & teammate I can be’, stressedKellan Grady. At the end of the day, it’s all about effort forKellan Grady, and that will be more than appreciated in Ludwigsburg.
