Matt Geiger

Matt Geiger

Personal information
Born	(1969-09-10) September 10, 1969 Salem, Massachusetts
Nationality	American
Listed height	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight	243 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High school	Countryside (Clearwater, Florida)
College	Auburn (1987–1989) Georgia Tech (1990–1992)
NBA draft	1992 / Round: 2 / Pick: 42nd overall
Selected by the Miami Heat
Playing career	1992–2001
Position	Center
Number	52
Career history
1992–1995	Miami Heat
1995–1998	Charlotte Hornets
1999–2001	Philadelphia 76ers
Career NBA statistics
Points	5,059 (9.2 ppg)
Rebounds	3,158 (5.7 rpg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Matthew Allen "Matt" Geiger (September 10, 1969) is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association at 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. His main asset was considered to be coming off the bench, and delivering hard fouls to opposing players.

In the summer of 2000, Matt Geiger's refusal to waive a $5 million 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. He was suspended for 2 games during the 2000-01 season for a violation of the NBA/NBPA's steroid policy.

Geiger signed a 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, 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.The Punisher used this home as the residence of John Travolta's character Mr. Saint.

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. Because his brother lost his hair during chemotherapy, Matt Geiger shaved his head during his NBA career in support of his brother.