Twelve-year NBA veteran Brian Grant played the best season of his NBA career with the Miami Heat . He was in his prime at the time, but one of the main reasons why Xavier alumnus took off with the Heat was the great Pat Riley.
According to Grant, Riley ensured his players got the best treatment possible off the court. In return, “The Godfather” demanded that each and every player on the roster abide by his rules.
“They were a first-class organization that did any and everything for their players. There was one man that was in control under ownership, of course, and you did it his way or you were gone, and that was Pat Riley,” Grant told HoopsHype in 2021.
Pat got Grant to lose weight
All throughout his basketball career, Grant never considered himself lazy. If anything, he diligently put in the work needed to be in his best form possible. However, he realized that his dedication and work ethic were still not enough to meet Riley’s standards.
As far back as Brian can remember, Coach Pat was big on demanding what he needed to see from each team member. And by that, Grant meant that each of them had to practice their guts out. The tedious practice sessions even saw Brian losing almost 20 pounds. Nevertheless, Brian still loved his time under Riley’s leadership.