From heart troubles to an eligibility battle, here's how the Gonzaga forward kept his playing career alive.
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"Grant-Foster developed that resilience over the course of an eight-year college basketball career complicated by a heart condition that led to two collapses -- and cost him nearly two entire seasons.
By the time he turns 26 in March, Grant-Foster will have suited up for five different schools. His journey has included two seasons at Indian Hills Community College, one at Kansas -- his dream program, where he saw limited play (8.1 minutes per game) -- then a fraction of one at DePaul, where he played just a half-game before his first collapse in 2021. After collapsing a second time three months later -- and missing the 2022-23 season -- Grant-Foster secured clearance from his doctors at the Mayo Clinic and made his way back to the court for two seasons at Grand Canyon.
Grant-Foster needed NCAA approval for one more year at Gonzaga, though. Having spent nearly two years fighting for another opportunity to play the sport he loves, a courtroom battle with the NCAA did not scare him. After it denied his eligibility waiver request, a judge granted him a preliminary injunction, allowing him to play this season."
"In a controversial era that has allowed former G League players, NBA draft picks and international pros to secure eligibility, the question about who deserves second chances -- for a player who has already had several of them -- was at the center of Grant-Foster's push for a final season. He was fighting for a starting spot on a No. 8 Gonzaga squad with realistic Final Four aspirations (Grant-Foster is third in scoring with 11.3 points per game)."
"Grant-Foster loved to challenge his friends in marathon video game battles and late-night shootarounds. It never mattered when or where. At any moment, he could ask you to drop to the floor for a race to 25 pushups. That tenacity bled into the gym, where he blossomed into the No. 1 junior college player in America after two years at Indian Hills Community College -- and, eventually, worthy of a scholarship from Kansas.
Almost from the start, it wasn't a fit. He saw limited time, averaging just 3.1 points in Lawrence. After one tough game with the Jayhawks, a frustrated Grant-Foster kept walking through the parking lot even as his mother called his name. He seemed almost in a daze."
"The Blue Demons offered Grant-Foster a chance to start over and restore his confidence. After a summer working out with the squad, he felt like himself again before the 2021-22 season.
Only 20 minutes into his debut, everything changed.
Grant-Foster had just made a go-ahead 3-pointer in the season opener against
Coppin State. When he headed for the locker room at halftime, he collapsed in the tunnel. The school's medical team surrounded him as he briefly regained consciousness, while he asked what the fuss was all about and why everyone was standing around him instead of preparing for the second half. Then he lost consciousness again.
DePaul's medical staffers began CPR so intense Grant-Foster later complained about severe pain from the compressions. It took three rounds of shocks from an automated external defibrillator before he was resuscitated."
"After a 10-day stint between two Chicago hospitals, Grant-Foster learned he had scarring on his heart from a genetic condition called arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy and needed an implanted defibrillator. Doctors framed the stakes with sobering advice: Pick up a set of golf clubs instead because the chance of playing basketball again didn't seem like a reality."
"The defibrillator didn't prevent another incident, though. It didn't help that, according to those around him, Tyon did not always heed doctors' warnings such as other young athletes recovering from injuries, but continued to push the limits, still challenging others to push-up contests.
Three months after his first incident, while recovering at home in Kansas City, Grant-Foster collapsed again while playing pickup with former Jayhawks teammate and now
Denver Nuggets guard
Christian Braun. Grant-Foster would need another surgery to have more scarring removed.
DePaul refused to clear him after the second collapse, offering support if he wanted to be a coach or have another role with the program, but casting doubt on his playing future.
Grant-Foster was once again preparing for life without basketball.
In his time off the court, he turned to movies such as 'Training Day,' 'Pursuit of Happyness' and 'King Arthur' for inspiration on overcoming adversity. They also were distractions and stories that ended with good guys winning. He spent those months hoping he would get a chance to win again, too.
That chance came on March 30, 2023 -- more than a year after his second collapse -- when Grant-Foster finished a Zoom call with his new team of doctors at the Mayo Clinic. They gave him the news he had been waiting for: the green light to resume his career.
As soon as the call ended, Grant-Foster grabbed his shoes and shorts and headed toward the gym.
He had to make sure he would be OK on the court again."
Grand Canyon head coach Bryce Drew understood the risk.
Drew had watched his brother, Scott, the head coach at
Baylor, wade through situations involving multiple players with heart issues. Former Final Four hero Jared Butler had been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in high school. Former Baylor standouts Isaiah Austin and King McClure, now an ESPN analyst, had dealt with career-altering heart issues, too.
Those experiences prepared Bryce Drew for a pitch from a former assistant, Jamall Walker, who knew Grant-Foster from their circles in Kansas City and praised his potential. Drew was willing to offer him a second chance.
After Grand Canyon worked with Grant-Foster's doctors at the Mayo Clinic to get him ready to play, he showcased all of the potential he had never had an opportunity to display.
A full 726 days after his first and only game at DePaul, Grant-Foster scored 30 points for Grand Canyon in a season-opening win over Southeast Missouri State."
"He scored 25 or more points in 10 games that season, earning 2023-24 Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors. He led No. 12-seeded Grand Canyon to its first NCAA tournament victory with 22 points in an upset of No. 5
Saint Mary's in the first round.
He was hindered by an ankle injury in his second season but still managed to help the Lopes reach the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in program history.
When Gonzaga began recruiting him, it was impossible not to listen. Grant-Foster had always dreamed of playing in the NBA, and Few had produced a dozen first-round picks."
"In October, Grant-Foster stood in a courtroom and smiled as Spokane County Judge Marla Polin granted him an injunction to play, with Few sitting a few rows back."
"Now, the Bulldogs have a player who could be one of the reasons they cut down the nets in April. He was averaging 11.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks heading into Wednesday's game against
Pepperdine. He's rated as an 'excellent' defender on Synergy Sports, contributing to the best defense Few has had at Gonzaga in five years."
'"I feel like some people don't really understand how uncontrollable the circumstances were for me. It's not just a regular injury where you can rehab back from this,' Grant-Foster said. 'So when sometimes I see people judging me like, 'Oh, he's older' and all of this, but you really just don't know what I had to go through to even get back to playing basketball again.'"
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