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As Grant Ellis embarks on his quest to find true love on The Bachelor Season 29, there is something that Ellis actually fell in love with a long time ago, but fate had other plans. It's not Season 21 Bachelorette lead Jenn Tran, — who Ellis courted on the last season — but his love of basketball.
Did Grant Ellis have a real shot to play in the NBA?
In his intro video for Tran, Ellis says his love for basketball started when he was eight. While he never mentioned where he played basketball during his early days, he did mention that he's originally from New Jersey and went on to become the first basketball player from his school to get a scholarship to a Division I college.
In his player profile on Iona's website, Ellis' game is explained.
“Ellis is a long, slasher/scorer that will look to crack the Gael rotation as a rookie. An excellent athlete, he possesses a solid skill set that should fit Iona's high-octane offensive system.”
Ellis played three years of Division I college basketball, two with Iona and one with Southern University.
Unfortunately, Ellis's numbers weren't impressive. During his time at Iona, he only averaged .75 points, .25 rebounds, and .3 assists in 24 games. During his lone season at Southern University, he played only one game and scored 5 points.
To conclude his college basketball career, Ellis transferred to Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut, a lesser-known Division III university that gave him a chance to show what he could do. In 18 games, Ellis was the team's second-leading scorer, averaging 19.1 points per game, and was named to the second-team All-GNAC.
His efforts in his final season were enough for teams in the LA Superliga in the Dominican Republic to give the 6-foot-4 guard a spot on its team.
Grant Ellis played professional basketball overseas before injuries forced him to retire
Ellis played in the Dominican Republic from 2016 to 2018, posting similar averages to his first three years of college. However, according to People Magazine, Ellis suffered an undisclosed injury that forced him to pivot to a different career.
“When life knocks you down, you have to be able to pivot,” Grant said.
Ellis moved back to the United States in 2018 and has worked as a day trader in Texas ever since. Ellis might've traded his spot on the basketball floor for a chance at true love, but one thing is for sure: Ellis is still shooting his shot wherever he goes.
