Matthew Allen Geiger (born September 10, 1969) is an American former professional National Basketball Association (NBA) player who played at the center position.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 10, 1969 Salem, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 243 lb (110 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Countryside (Clearwater, Florida) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 1992: 2nd round, 42nd overall pick |
| Selected by the Miami Heat | |
| Playing career | 1992–2001 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 52 |
| Career history | |
| 1992–1995 | Miami Heat |
| 1995–1998 | Charlotte Hornets |
| 1999–2001 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 5,059 (9.2 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 3,158 (5.7 rpg) |
| Assist | 388 (0.7 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Collegiate career
editGeiger played for Countryside High School in Clearwater, Florida and was recruited to play college basketball at Auburn University. He played with Auburn before transferring to Georgia Tech for more playing time.
NBA career
editHis successful college career led Geiger to be selected by the Miami Heat in the second round (42nd pick overall) of the 1992 NBA draft. He played in the NBA for 10 seasons from 1992 to 2002 with 3 teams: Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, and Philadelphia 76ers.[1]
In the summer of 2000, Matt Geiger's refusal to waive a $5 million trade kicker clause in his contract stopped a four-team deal between Philadelphia, the Hornets, the Detroit Pistons and the L.A. Lakers that would have sent All-Star player Allen Iverson to the Pistons.[2] He was suspended for 2 games during the 2000–01 season for a violation of the NBA/NBPA's steroid policy.[3]
Geiger signed a contract in 2001 with the Philadelphia 76ers but knee injuries forced him to retire in 2002 after a ten-year career. For his career, he averaged 9.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
NBA career statistics
edit| 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 |
| * | Led the league |
Regular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–93 | Miami | 48 | 2 | 11.5 | .524 | .000 | .674 | 2.5 | .3 | .3 | .4 | 4.5 |
| 1993–94 | Miami | 72 | 0 | 16.7 | .574 | .200 | .779 | 4.2 | .4 | .5 | .4 | 7.2 |
| 1994–95 | Miami | 74 | 43 | 23.1 | .536 | .400 | .650 | 5.6 | .7 | .6 | .7 | 8.3 |
| 1995–96 | Charlotte | 77 | 50 | 30.5 | .536 | .375 | .727 | 8.4 | .8 | .6 | .8 | 11.2 |
| 1996–97 | Charlotte | 49 | 13 | 21.3 | .489 | .300 | .701 | 5.3 | .8 | .4 | .6 | 8.9 |
| 1997–98 | Charlotte | 78 | 42 | 23.6 | .505 | .091 | .712 | 6.7 | 1.0 | .9 | 1.1 | 11.3 |
| 1998–99 | Philadelphia | 50* | 40 | 30.8 | .479 | .200 | .797 | 7.2 | 1.2 | .8 | .8 | 13.5 |
| 1999–00 | Philadelphia | 65 | 20 | 21.6 | .441 | .000 | .779 | 6.0 | .6 | .4 | .3 | 9.7 |
| 2000–01 | Philadelphia | 35 | 4 | 15.5 | .393 | .000 | .685 | 4.0 | .4 | .3 | .2 | 6.1 |
| 2001–02 | Philadelphia | 4 | 0 | 8.8 | .125 | – | .500 | 1.5 | .0 | .0 | .5 | .8 |
| Career | 552 | 214 | 22.1 | .499 | .232 | .728 | 5.7 | .7 | .6 | .6 | 9.2 | |
Playoffs
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Miami | 2 | 0 | 5.5 | .000 | – | .500 | 2.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .5 |
| 1997 | Charlotte | 3 | 0 | 10.3 | .667 | – | 1.000 | 2.7 | .7 | .7 | .3 | 2.0 |
| 1998 | Charlotte | 4 | 0 | 5.5 | .167 | – | – | 1.3 | .3 | .0 | .0 | .5 |
| 1999 | Philadelphia | 8 | 8 | 29.9 | .438 | .000 | .828 | 7.6 | .8 | 1.1 | .8 | 13.5 |
| 2000 | Philadelphia | 8 | 0 | 16.0 | .500 | – | .800 | 5.0 | .3 | .6 | .3 | 8.8 |
| 2001 | Philadelphia | 12 | 0 | 8.3 | .586 | – | 1.000 | 1.5 | .6 | .2 | .0 | 3.2 |
| Career | 37 | 8 | 14.4 | .468 | .000 | .823 | 3.7 | .5 | .5 | .2 | 6.1 | |
Personal life
editGeiger resides in Tarpon Springs, Florida where he is a real estate investor. His 28,000-square-foot (2,600 m2) estate, reported as the largest in the county,[4] sold on January 3, 2011, for 8 million dollars.[5] The Punisher used this home as the residence of John Travolta's character Mr. Saint.[citation needed]
In January 1992, during Geiger's senior year at Georgia Tech, his fraternal twin Mark Geiger was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease at the age of 22.[6] Because his brother lost his hair during chemotherapy, Matt Geiger shaved his head during his NBA career in support of his brother.[7]
References
edit- ^ Matt Geiger Past Stats, Playoff Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards Archived November 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ESPN – Mavs forward George blocks trade of Kidd to Mavs – NBA
- ^ NBA.com: Matt Geiger Bio Archived December 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Sports: Livin' large
- ^ "Geiger's Mansion finally sells — at deep discount". Archived from the original on January 8, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
- ^ David Teel (March 13, 1992). "Matt Geiger Toughens Up The Hard Way". Daily Press. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
- ^ Phil Jasner (March 26, 2011). "Iverson might be available vs. Bucks". Philadelphia Daily News. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2011.