Matt Geiger

Matt Geiger

No. 52
Center
Personal information
Date of birth	September 10, 1969 (1969-09-10) (age 42) Salem, Massachusetts, USA
Career information
College	Georgia Tech
NBA Draft	1992 / Round: 2 / Pick: 15th overall
Pro career	1992–2002
Career history
Miami Heat (1992–1995) Charlotte Hornets (1995–1998) Philadelphia 76ers (1998–2002)
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points	5,059
Rebound	3,158
Assists	388
Stats at NBA.com

Matthew Allen "Matt" Geiger (September 10, 1969 in Salem, Massachusetts) is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association on the center position.

Collegiate career

Geiger 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

His 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 1992–2002 with 3 teams: Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, and Philadelphia 76ers.^[1] His main assets were considered to be his mid-range jump shot and his rebounding skills.

In the summer of 2000, Matt Geiger's refusal to waive a 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 two games during the 2000-01 season for a violation of the NBA/NBPA's steroid policy.^[3]

Geiger signed a $5 million dollar contract in 2001 with the Philadelphia 76ers but knee injuries forced him to retire in 2002. For his career, he averaged 9.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Personal life

Geiger currently 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. The estate was originally listed for 20 million dollars and was on the market for four years.^[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

1. ^ Matt Geiger Past Stats, Playoff Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards
2. ^ ESPN - Mavs forward George blocks trade of Kidd to Mavs - NBA
3. ^ NBA.com: Matt Geiger Bio
4. ^ Sports: Livin' large
5. ^ Geiger's Mansion finally sells — at deep discount
6. ^ David Teel (13 March 1992). "Matt Geiger Toughens Up The Hard Way". Daily Press. http://articles.dailypress.com/1992-03-13/sports/9203130044_1_georgia-tech-matt-geiger-tech-cruised. Retrieved 14 May 2011. 
7. ^ Phil Jasner (26 March 2011). "Iverson might be available vs. Bucks". Philadelphia Daily News. http://articles.philly.com/2001-03-26/sports/25328008_1_allen-iverson-primary-backup-injuries/2. Retrieved 14 May 2011. 

Persondata
Name	Geiger, Matt
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	September 10, 1969
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death