Travis Grant (born January 1, 1950) is a former American basketball small forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Los Angeles Lakers. He also was a member of the San Diego Conquistadors, Kentucky Colonels, and Indiana Pacers in the American Basketball Association (ABA). He played college basketball at Kentucky State University. Early years Growing up in rural Alabama as part of the segregated South, he practiced his basketball shot using a tennis ball and a cutout five-gallon bucket as a makeshift rim. He attended Barbour County High School in Clayton, Alabama. As a senior, he was offered an opportunity to transfer to a white school, but he instead opted to stay put. College career Grant accepted a basketball scholarship from NAIA Kentucky State University, because of his relationship with head coach Lucias Mitchell, turning down other offers. As a freshman, he spent the first half of the season opener against Campbell College on the bench, entering the game in the second half and hitting 10 straight shots, which earned him the "Machine". He finished the season averaging 26.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and shot 61.9% from the field. As a sophomore, he led the team to a 29–3 record and the NAIA National Championship. He averaged 35.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and shot 70% from the field. In the NAIA Tournament, he averaged 27.4 points. He also scored a school record 75 points in a regular season game against Northwood Institute. As a junior, he led the team to a 31–2 record and a second straight NAIA National Championship. He averaged 31.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and shot 64.8% from the field. In the NAIA Tournament, he averaged 33.6 points and received the Chuck Taylor MVP Award. As a senior, he led the team to a 28–5 record and a third straight NAIA National Championship. He averaged 39.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and shot 62% from the field. He scored 68 points against Eastern Michigan University and their star George "The Iceman" Gervin. In the NAIA tournament he scored 213 points, including a tournament single-game record of 60 points against Minot State University. He set the All-time tournament scoring record for both a season (213) and a career (518). He averaged an NAIA record 33.4 points per game over his career. He received the Chuck Taylor MVP Award for the second time in a row. He also was the first