Coming From A Sports Background, New Bachelor Grant Ellis' Biggest Inspiration Is Just Too Obvious

Grant Ellis might be the brand-new Bachelor lead, but he was an athlete before he became a beloved reality television personality.

Grant was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey before bouncing around to pursue an athletic career as a basketball guard and forward throughout his college years.

Jumping from Iona College to Southern University to Albertus Magnus College, Grant went on to play professional basketball overseas after his college years came to a close, spending time in Puerto Rico, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. How impressive is that?

After spending some time as a professional basketball player, it's clear Grant was looking to settle down, heading to Los Angeles, California to fight for Jenn Tran's heart on The Bachelorette Season 21.

His official biography for his Bachelorette journey is as follows:

"It’s easy to see what makes Grant such a catch. His smile lights up every room he walks into and is followed by his positive attitude. Grant is a mama’s boy who loves poetry and reading, and says he’s here to find the love of his life.

"The former pro basketball player is passionate about his new career as a day trader and hopes to be able to provide for his future family. When Grant isn’t hustling at his job, he loves watching the Lakers, going bowling, and singing his heart out at karaoke.

"After his last long-term relationship didn’t work out, Grant is excited for the chance to fall in love again and can’t wait for his Bachelorette journey to begin."

Although he sounds like a total catch, the professional basketball player turned day trader failed to receive a rose at the final six — just one episode shy of the hometown dates — getting eliminated alongside Spencer Conley.

His journey did not end there, though, as it was announced just minutes after his emotional exit that he would be the lead of The Bachelor Season 29, becoming the second African-American man to be chosen as the lead (after Matt James).

Although his sights are set away from basketball — focused on finding love instead — it is safe to say that the sport is still a huge part of his life.

According to Reality Steve, the first group date of the season will require the women to play a five versus five basketball game. How fun is that?

Before his Bachelorette journey began, Bachelor Nation played a cheeky game of 20 questions with the 31-year-old, where basketball made a major appearance yet again.

When asked his biggest inspiration, rather than identifying someone to whom he has a close, personal connection, Grant deemed his favorite basketball player as his biggest inspiration instead.

Keep scrolling to see who.

Grant's Biggest Inspiration Is Kobe Bryant

Given the fact that Grant loves "cheering on the Lakers" in his free time, it only makes sense that his biggest inspiration is Kobe Bryant.

He spilled:

The person that inspires me the most is Kobe Bryant, always.

He can also be seen using the purple heart emoji in several of his Instagram posts, proving his Lakers fandom yet again.

While there's no way to know for sure, we have a feeling there might be some basketball-related limo entrances to kick off The Bachelor Season 29.

To see if our prediction is correct, catch the beginning of Grant's journey when The Bachelor Season 29 premieres on January 27 via ABC, with next-day streaming through Hulu or Disney Plus.

With arguably the sexiest Bachelor of all time — who is truly the definition of tall, dark and handsome — we cannot contain our excitement.