Ex-NBA star Bryant Reeves who earned $55m in career now unrecognizable from iconic basketball days with new look
BRYANT Reeves has looked unnoticeable from his days in the NBA.
The retired seven-foot, 290-pound NBA big man has become a cattle farmer in his native Oklahoma.
Reeves grew up in Gans, a small Oklahoma town with a population of close to 200.
In college, Reeves was one of the best players at Oklahoma State and helped take the Cowboys to the 1995 Final Four.
The star center would be nicknamed Big Country due to his amazement at how big the U.S. was during his first cross-country plane ride.
Reeves became the first pick of the Vancouver Grizzlies franchise history and was selected as the No. 6 pick in the 1995 NBA Draft.
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He would average 14.7 points and 7.7 rebounds in his first two years in the league.
The Grizzlies then inked Reeves to a six-year, $65million contract.
However, his off-season conditioning and over-weight issues took a toll on his body.
Reaves did not have the opportunity to play for the Grizzlies after the team moved from Vancouver to Memphis.
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He started the 2001-02 season on the injured list due to chronic back pain.
In January 2002, Reaves officially retired from basketball as the pain caused degenerative spinal discs.
Reaves has now become a cattle farmer and family man after Canadian filmmaker Kat Jayme tracked him down for a documentary titled Finding Big Country
The 50-year-old lives on a 15,000-square-foot ranch in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma.
Reaves now dons a bald look after rocking short hair during his NBA days.
For his six-year career, Reaves averaged 12.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.