Bryant "Big Country" Reeves was the 6th pick of the 1995 NBA Draft and the first ever draft pick of the former Vancouver Grizzlies (now the Memphis Grizzlies). Reeves had led the Oklahoma State University Cowboys to the NCAA Final Four tournament as a senior. They went on to lose to the eventual NCAA champion UCLA led by Ed O'Bannon in the semifinals.
The Vancouver Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors were expansion teams that year and were given the 6th and 7th pick of the 1995 NBA draft - Kevin Garnett was the 5th pick of the draft that year. The Grizzlies and Raptors picked Reeves and Damon Stoudemire.
Reeves put up some good numbers in his first 2 years with the Vancouver Grizzlies (16.2 ppg, 8.1 rbg in his 2nd year) while the team posted just 29 wins combined in his first 2 years. The Grizzlies went on to sign Reeves to a 6yr/65M contract extension..considered one of the worst contracts in NBA history. Knee and back problems (along with weight issues) led to Reeve's decline over the next few years before he eventually retired in 2001.
Filmmaker and Vancouver Grizzlies fan, Kat Jayme tracks down the reclusive Bryant Reeves in this great documentary "Finding Big Country"..