John Bryant (basketball)


John Bryant is an American professional basketball player, who lastly played for the Gießen 46ers of the German Basketball Bundesliga. Bryant was the 2009 West Coast Conference player of the year and an All-American as a senior at Santa Clara University.

College career

Bryant, a 6'11" center from Pinole Valley High School in Pinole, California, played for the Santa Clara Broncos from 2005 to 2009. Bryant earned the Broncos starting center spot during his freshman year - averaging 6.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and earning a spot on the West Coast Conference all-freshman team. He followed this up with a solid sophomore campaign, raising his averages to 10.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
Bryant raised his game considerably as a junior. Bryant averaged 18 points per game and led the WCC in rebounding and blocked shots. Bryant garnered first team All-WCC honors for the season.
Bryant showed a new dedication to conditioning the offseason before his senior campaign, but his hard work was nearly derailed as he was the victim of a stabbing attack just prior to the start of the 2008–09 season. However, he made a full recovery and had an outstanding senior year. Bryant led the nation in double-doubles and finished a close second to national player of the year Blake Griffin in rebounding nationally. He was again named All-WCC, was the 2009 conference player of the year, and was named an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press.

Professional career

Following the close of his college career, Bryant was not selected in the 2009 NBA Draft. He played his first professional season with the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League, where he averaged 13.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 49 games.
The next season, Bryant moved to Germany, signing with ratiopharm Ulm of the Basketball Bundesliga. Bryant averaged 14.7 points and 10.9 rebounds in the 2010–11 season. He re-signed with Ulm for the 2011–12 season, and was subsequently named the Most Valuable Player of that season. He was named to the All-EuroCup First Team in 2013.
In July 2013, Bryant signed a two-year contract with Bayern Munich. In his first season with the Bavarians he helped the club reach the Top 16 of the EuroLeague and win the German championship.
On July 15, 2015, he signed a two-year extension with Bayern. On August 9, 2016, he parted ways with Bayern, and signed a one-year deal with Spanish club Valencia Basket.
After only playing two league games with Valencia, the club rescinded his contract due to his poor performance.
On November 23, 2016, he signed a two-month deal with French club AS Monaco Basket. He moved back to Germany for the 2017–18 season, signing with Basketball Bundesliga side Gießen 46ers. After averaging 18.2 points and 10.7 rebounds per game in his first season, Bryant signed a two-year extension with the team on May 17, 2018. Bryant left Gießen at the end of the 2019-20 season. During his three years at the team, he averaged 18.2 points and 10.7 rebounds per contest in Bundesliga play.

Career statistics

EuroLeague