Brad Daugherty is a former professional basketball player and current American sports analyst, best known for his NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers and his broadcasting work with ESPN.
Brad Daugherty was born in 1965 in Black Mountain, North Carolina. He attended Charles D. Owen High School, where he led the Warhorses basketball team to the North Carolina state finals in 1982. His standout high school performance earned him a scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he played under legendary coach Dean Smith.
Daugherty joined UNC as a 16-year-old freshman and quickly proved himself on the court. He earned First-Team All-ACC honors twice during his collegiate career and was later named to the ACC 50th Anniversary Men’s Basketball Team. He averaged 20 points per game in his senior year and was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
Brad Daugherty is married to Heidi Rost. The couple dated for a period before deciding to marry. They have maintained a relatively private personal life outside of Daugherty’s professional endeavors.
Daugherty was selected as the first overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers secured the top pick through a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers, in which they sent Roy Hinson and cash considerations. In that same draft, Cleveland also selected Ron Harper with the eighth pick and acquired Mark Price in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks after Price was drafted in the second round.
Alongside Harper, Price, and key contributors such as John “Hot Rod” Williams, Daugherty helped revitalize the Cavaliers franchise in the late 1980s. His combination of size, skill, and basketball intelligence made him one of the most dominant centers of his era. He was named an NBA All-Star five times and earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors in his debut season.
Unfortunately, recurring back issues forced Daugherty into early retirement at age 28. Although he never resumed professional play, he made a cameo appearance in uniform in the 1996 basketball-themed film "Eddie," starring Whoopi Goldberg, alongside then-current Cavaliers players.
After retiring from the NBA, Daugherty transitioned into broadcasting, working as an analyst for ESPN. He later merged his passion for motorsports with his professional career, becoming a NASCAR owner and co-owner of JTG Daugherty Racing.
In June 2020, Daugherty publicly supported NASCAR’s decision to ban the Confederate flag at its events. In a statement to the Citizen Times, he said, “I was touched to the core when I heard that NASCAR President Steve Phelps was banning the Confederate flag at our events… This is a big step in the right direction and now is the time to envision the future.”
His stance was not universally shared within the NASCAR community; for example, Truck Series driver Ray Ciccarelli publicly announced plans to leave the sport, citing disagreement with the flag ban.
Brad Daugherty has maintained a successful post-NBA career, both in sports broadcasting and auto racing ownership. His contributions to basketball and sports media have solidified his legacy as a versatile and respected figure in American athletics. His estimated net worth reflects his achievements across multiple industries.
| Birth Date: | 19 Oct, 1965 |
| Age: | 54 yrs |
| Occupations: | Basketball player NASCAR team owner Sports commentator |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Birth Place: | Black Mountain |
| Gender: | Male |
| Description: | American basketball player |
| Net Worth 2021: | 20 million |
