Bayard Forrest
Bayard Forrest is a retired American professional basketball player. He was a 6'10", 235 lb center who played at Grand Canyon University before being drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1976 NBA draft. Forrest never played for the Sonics, but he played one season for Athletes in Action and two seasons for the Phoenix Suns before retiring in 1980 due to injury.
College career
Forrest attended Grand Canyon University, a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Forrest declined offers from Oregon State University, Arizona State University, and the University of Hawaii because he wanted to go to a Christian school. Forrest lead Grand Canyon to the 1975 NAIA Division I men's [basketball tournament], where they defeated Midwestern State University 65–54 in the championship. In the championship game, Forrest had 16 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and four blocked shots, and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. In his four years at Grand Canyon, he averaged 18 points a game and 12.7 rebounds a game, while shooting 53.5% from the field.Professional career
Forrest was selected in the second round in the 1976 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. Forrest turned down the Sonics in favor of Athletes in Action and later signed with the Phoenix Suns in 1977.Forrest served as a back-up for veteran center Alvan Adams in the 1978 and 1979 seasons. The Suns reached the Western Conference Finals in the 1979 NBA Playoffs, which saw Forrest play an expanded with an injured Adams unavailable for the first six games of the series. While in Phoenix, he averaged 15.3 minutes, 4.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He retired on June 7, 1980.
Before Forrest was drafted by the Sonics, he was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the third round of the 1975 NBA draft and by the San Antonio Spurs in the 6th round of the 1975 ABA Draft. He chose to play the final season of his college career instead.