Meet Auburn Basketball Alum, Jordon Granger. The former 6’8 power forward excels both on and off of the court—he graduated from Auburn this past May, having received his undergraduate degree in Administration. He then used to that degree to get a job with New York Life as a financial planner. Today, he can still be found on the Plains: he continues to further his education career here as a graduate assistant for athletics and is working towards earning his graduate degree in Education.
Having been a good friend of mine, I decided to give him a call and ask a few questions in regards to his basketball career here at Auburn and to see just what the future holds for him.
To master the skill of basketball takes time- a lot of time. Granger said that he was at the young age of two when his father had first placed a basketball in his hands. At his second birthday, he started to shoot the ball and try to dunk for the very first time on his toddler basketball hoop.
Granger says that he discovered his love for the game growing up as basketball allowed him to realize just how much he and his father had in common. The game of basketball had allowed them to get closer to one another and form a strong, special bond. He went on to say that “it was cool to get attention just for getting the basketball in the hoop. Who would’ve ever realized that to go to college I just had to put the basketball in the hoop? That’s when I really loved the game and found you could make money and get rewards for playing the game.”
Granger’s father went on to become the biggest influence on his basketball career. Granger says he can remember his father would always have him watching basketball and “when all of the other kids were playing pick-up basketball, he had me focusing on my goals and skills,” he says. Granger also said that his father always told him, “If you get good enough, you’ll be able to control your future,” and these words are something that Granger both took to heart and took advantage of as he went on to play college basketball for the SEC.
Throughout his career at Auburn, his teammates have become his brothers; his family. As he got older, he began to form relationships with his teammates both on and off the court. “Basketball doesn’t last forever,” he tells me. “Being in the locker room is the best way to take advantage of your teammates. To really become their friends and look at them like they’re family.” Granger says he can relate to his teammates as a lot of them come from similar background situations, such as families not having a lot of money as well as having the same goal and mindset of obtaining success.
In regards to obtaining success, Jordan Granger has done so and continues to do so. His future plans consist of getting his first security license in the stock market so he can become a full-time broker. Granger has pretty big plans for himself as he hopes to become a broker by the age of 27, as well as be significant in the lives of others.
To all of the young athletes who plan to follow in Grangers footsteps and play basketball at the college level, Granger has some advice for you. When it comes to words of encouragement, he’s got a list of them. Granger says, “Stay focused and have motivation. Realize your goals and make them come to life. Think about your goals and prioritize your goals. Develop a plan and take action. Review those goals and that’s how you’ll reach success.”
We’ve watched Jordon Granger grow into quite the Auburn man as he too believes in work. Hard work. War eagle, Jordon!