Matt Geiger was born in Salem, MA on September 10th, 1969, and grew into a 7' center in Countryside High in Clearwater, FL. Initially, he attended college in Auburn, and played for the Tigers for two seasons. As a sophomore, he averaged 16 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. He transferred to the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets for the 1990-91 season, and played another two seasons. During his senior season, his fraternal twin, Mark Geiger, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease. In support of his brother, Matt wore his head shaved through his entire NBA career.
Miami picked Geiger with a second round pick they recieved from the Los Angeles Lakers in return for not selecting Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the expansion draft, with the 42nd overall pick in the 1992 draft.