Grant Nelson (basketball)

Grant Nelson

No. 2 – Alabama Crimson Tide
Position	Power forward
League	Southeastern Conference
Personal information
Born	(2002-03-18) March 18, 2002 (age 22) Devils Lake, North Dakota, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight	230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school	Devils Lake (Devils Lake, North Dakota)
College	North Dakota State (2020–2023) Alabama (2023–present)
Career highlights and awards
First team All-Summit League (2023) Summit League All-Defensive Team (2023) Summit League Sixth Man of the Year (2021) North Dakota Mr. Basketball (2020)

Grant Nelson (born March 18, 2002) is an American college basketball player for the Alabama Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He previously played for the North Dakota State Bison.

Early life and high school career

Nelson grew up in Devils Lake, North Dakota and attended Devils Lake High School.[1] He played mostly on the junior varsity team as a freshman and sophomore.[2] Nelson averaged 16.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 5.1 blocks per game and was named second team All-State during his junior season.[3] He was named North Dakota Mr. Basketball as a senior after averaging 25 points, 18 rebounds, and 5.7 blocks per game.[4] Nelson committed to playing college basketball for North Dakota State over offers from North Dakota and Division II programs Northern State, University of Mary, Minot State, and Minnesota State-Moorhead.[5]

College career

Nelson played in all 27 of NDSU's games, with five starts as a freshman and was named the Summit League Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.[6] He became a starter as a sophomore and averaged 11.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.[7][8] During Nelson's junior season, a highlight reel of his play went viral in early January 2023.[9] As a junior, Grant averaged 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, as well as shooting 52.1% from the field.[10] These stats also earned him his first All-Summit First Team and All-Summit Defensive Team honors.[11]

Following the 2022–23 season, Nelson explored his options in the 2023 NBA draft but ultimately withdrew to return to college for his senior season. On June 12, 2023, he transferred to Alabama after spending three seasons at North Dakota State.[12] Nelson averaged 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He announced he was returning for his final season at Alabama.[13]

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
2020–21	North Dakota State	27	5	20.9	.471	.356	.711	3.7	.6	.2	.9	6.3
2021–22	North Dakota State	29	21	25.8	.508	.322	.733	4.9	1.1	.2	1.3	11.6
2022–23	North Dakota State	30	30	30.7	.521	.269	.720	9.3	2.1	.8	1.7	17.9
Career		86	56	26.0	.508	.307	.722	6.0	1.3	.4	1.3	12.1

References

1. Davis, Seth (February 22, 2023). "The Unicorn Era: Victor Wembanyama heads a coming stampede of skilled big men". The Athletic. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
2. Zastrow, Nate (June 20, 2019). "Bison Hoops Offers Two Big Men". 247Sports. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
3. "Devils Lake's Grant Nelson standing out above the basketball crowd". Grand Forks Herald. December 24, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
4. "Devils Lake's Nelson named North Dakota Mr. Basketball". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. March 27, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
5. "Devils Lake's Grant Nelson to play college basketball at NDSU". Grand Forks Herald. July 8, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
6. "With Grant Nelson, Bison men have a unique player to throw at opposing teams". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. October 31, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
7. "Bison men's basketball players Cook, Harden-Hayes enter the transfer portal". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. March 14, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
8. "NBA Draft Scouting Report: North Dakota State's Grant Nelson". SI.com. February 25, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
9. "McFeely: Thanks in part to viral video, NBA steam begins for Bison's Grant Nelson". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. January 13, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
10. "Grant Nelson Stats, News, Bio". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
11. "ORU's Abmas nets second #SummitMBB Player of the Year Award". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
12. "North Dakota State transfer Grant Nelson commits to Alabama: What Tide are getting in big man". theathletic.com. The Athletic. June 12, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
13. Byler, Blake (April 29, 2024). "Grant Nelson Returning to Alabama Basketball for Final Season". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 14, 2024.

External links

• Alabama Crimson Tide bio
• North Dakota State Bison bio