Grant Golden (basketball)

For the tennis player, see Grant Golden (tennis).

Grant Golden (born January 15, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for AEK of the Greek Basketball League (BCL) and the Basketball Champions League (BCL). He played college basketball for the Richmond Spiders.

Grant Golden

Golden in action with Vanoli Cremona
No. 33 – AEK Athens
Position	Center
League	GBL BCL
Personal information
Born	(1998-01-15) January 15, 1998 (age 26) Richmond, Virginia, U.S.[1]
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school	Sherando (Stephens City, Virginia) St. James (Hagerstown, Maryland)
College	Richmond (2016–2022)
NBA draft	2022: undrafted
Playing career	2022–present
Career history
2022–2023	Grand Rapids Gold
2023–2024	Vanoli Cremona
2024–present	AEK Athens
Career highlights and awards
Second-team All-Atlantic 10 (2020) 3× Third-team All-Atlantic 10 (2018, 2019, 2021) Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team (2018)
Stats at Basketball Reference

High school career

After averaging 18.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore for Sherando High School in Stephens City, Virginia, Golden transferred to St. James School in Hagerstown, Maryland. He suffered a stress fracture in his right foot before his junior season, before breaking his left ankle in his second game and missing the rest of the season.^[2][3] As a senior at St. James, Golden averaged 17.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, leading his team to the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference title. He was named Washington County Co-Player of the Year by The Herald-Mail.^[2] He committed to playing college basketball for Richmond over offers from James Madison, San Diego, Wofford and George Washington.^[4]

College career

Golden at the University of Richmond in 2018.

On December 17, 2016, during a game against Texas Tech, Golden collapsed and was briefly unconscious due to an irregular heartbeat.^[5] He underwent a cardiac ablation procedure to correct his heart rhythm.^[6][7] Golden missed the remainder of the season, after playing nine games, and was granted a medical redshirt by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.^[8] As a redshirt freshman, he averaged a team-high 15.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, earning Third Team All-Atlantic 10 and Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team honors. Golden scored 498 points, breaking the program freshman scoring record.^[9] On November 21, 2018, he posted a career-high 33 points and nine rebounds in a 68–66 loss to Wyoming.^[10] As a sophomore, he averaged 17.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game and was named to the Third Team All-Atlantic 10 for a second time.^[11] On January 18, 2020, Golden scored a season-high 25 points in a 97–87 win against George Mason.^[12] In his junior season, Golden averaged 13.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, earning Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honors.^[13] He led Richmond to a program-record 14 conference wins. Golden declared for the 2020 NBA draft before withdrawing his name and opting to return to Richmond.^[14]

On January 18, 2022, Golden passed the 2,000 career point mark in a win against Fordham.^[15] Golden collected his 1,000th rebound in the Spiders' 2022 Atlantic 10 tournament semifinal win over Dayton.^[16]

Professional career

Grand Rapids Gold (2022–2023)

Following his career at Richmond, Golden signed with the Atlanta Hawks for the 2022 NBA Summer League season.^[17] Golden then signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Denver Nuggets for the NBA preseason.^[18] Golden was later waived and then re-signed a few days later by the Nuggets.^[19] On November 4, 2022, Golden was named to the opening night roster for the Grand Rapids Gold.^[20]

Vanoli Cremona (2023–2024)

On August 1, 2023, Golden signed with Vanoli Cremona of the Lega Basket Serie A.^[21]

AEK Athens (2024–present)

On July 30, 2024, he joined AEK Athens of the Greek Basket League.^[22]

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2016–17	Richmond	9	0	7.6	.350	.200	.333	2.0	.9	.0	.2	2.0
2017–18	Richmond	32	32	30.7	.498	.275	.625	6.7	2.2	.6	1.2	15.6
2018–19	Richmond	33	33	31.4	.503	.296	.657	7.1	3.5	.5	1.1	17.2
2019–20	Richmond	29	29	26.0	.524	.263	.713	6.9	3.4	.6	.9	13.4
2020–21	Richmond	21	21	27.3	.562	.500	.667	6.0	3.5	.6	.5	12.7
2021–22	Richmond	37	37	27.6	.506	.280	.706	6.0	2.9	.4	.5	13.7
Career		161	152	27.5	.511	.295	.665	6.3	3.0	.5	.8	14.0

Personal life

Golden's younger brother, Bryce, played four years of college basketball for Butler before transferring to Loyola for his final season.^[13][23] His father, Craig, stands 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) and played college basketball for Fairfield and Hartford.^[2]

See also

• List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds

References

1. Dunleavy, Keith (March 26, 2016). "All-County Boys Basketball: Healthy Golden shows off skills for Saints". Hagerstown Herald-Mail. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
2. Dunleavy, Kevin (March 26, 2016). "All-County Boys Basketball: Healthy Golden shows off skills for Saints". The Herald-Mail. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
3. Roberts, Diane (March 9, 2018). "Young basketball player finds mentor in Richmond Spiders player". WUSA (TV). Retrieved October 6, 2020.
4. Keeler Jr., Tommy (October 28, 2015). "Golden commits to playing basketball at Richmond". The Northern Virginia Daily. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
5. Kurz Jr., Hank (July 8, 2017). "Richmond player back on court after collapse, heart scare". USA Today. Associated Press. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
6. O'Neil, Dana (November 13, 2017). "A heart scare behind him, Grant Golden is back bigger and stronger and ready to contribute at Richmond". The Athletic. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
7. O'Connor, John (December 22, 2016). "UR freshman forward Grant Golden undergoes cardiac procedure". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
8. O'Connor, John (May 23, 2017). "After recovery from heart procedure, it's go time for UR forward Grant Golden". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
9. "A Record-Setting Return: Grant Golden Freshman Highlights". University of Richmond Athletics. April 3, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
10. "James scores 29 as Wyoming rallies past Richmond 68–66". USA Today. Associated Press. November 21, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
11. "One view of the A-10 preseason all-league teams". Olean Times Herald. October 11, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
12. "Golden leads Richmond past George Mason 97–87". ESPN. Associated Press. January 18, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
13. Keeler Jr., Tommy (April 17, 2020). "Golden brothers share special bond through basketball". The Winchester Star. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
14. "Francis, Gilyard, Golden Officially Withdraw From NBA Draft". University of Richmond Athletics. June 3, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
15. "Gilyard matches career high with 31 in win at Fordham". Richmond Spiders. January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
16. "Spiders Overcome Double-Digit Deficit for Trip to A-10 Title Game". Richmond Spiders. March 12, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
17. O'Connor, John (June 24, 2022). "Summer hoops for ex-Spiders: Grant Golden with Hawks, Jacob Gilyard with Warriors". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
18. "Golden signs with Denver Nuggets". University of Richmond Athletics. September 26, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
19. "Grant Golden NBA Stats & News". RotoWire.com. October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
20. "Grand Rapids Gold Announce 2022-23 Opening Night Roster". OurSportsCentral.com. November 4, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
21. "Grant Golden è un nuovo giocatore della Vanoli Cremona 23/24". VanoliBasket.it (in Italian). August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
22. "AEK Betsson Athens ink Grant Golden, ex Cremona". www.eurobasket.com. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
23. "Loyola Adds Transfers Golden, Wilson To Men's Basketball Roster". Loyola University Chicago Athletics. April 22, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022.

External links

• Richmond Spiders bio