Who Is the New Bachelor Grant Ellis? All About Season 29’s Leading Man

Grant Ellis has gone from passing basketballs to passing out roses on The Bachelor.

In August 2024, the former professional basketball player was named season 29’s leading man — making Ellis the second Black Bachelor in franchise history.

Ellis was first introduced to Bachelor Nation on Jenn Tran‘s season of The Bachelorette. After admittedly falling for Tran, he was eliminated right before the hometown dates.

His second shot at finding love on national television begins on Jan. 27 — and Ellis is ready to draft his forever teammate.

“To get what you want out of life, you have to take a chance,” he said in a promo for season 29. “Love is a choice. Love is hard. But ultimately, the hardest things have the biggest reward.”

So who is Grant Ellis? Here’s everything to know about The Bachelor star and what he’s looking for in a wife.

He’s from New Jersey

Ellis was born and raised in Newark, N.J., by his mom, who has supported him from day one. Ellis’ mother signed him up for The Bachelorette, and she was one of the first people he told about being named the Bachelor.

“I’m so excited. I love you. I’m so proud of you. Congratulations!” she said on a phone call with him in August 2024 after he received the news from ABC.

Ellis is also close with his dad, who has a history of addiction and spent time in rehab. He first shared parts of his dad’s story on The Bachelorette, and later on Nick Viall‘s podcast.

“I love my father to death. Everybody has their demons. He did the best that he could,” Ellis said on The Viall Files. “I don’t want him to ever think that I’m bashing him. I’m super proud of him for the progress he’s made.”

He played professional basketball

Ellis played basketball at three colleges — Iona University, Southern University and Albertus Magnus College — before going pro.

He played overseas, mostly in the Dominican Republic, for four and half years before an injury ended his professional basketball career. Ellis told Viall that he dreamed of being a guard in the NBA but quickly realized the natural talent it required.

“It’s a lot harder [than it seems]. I can shoot, and I can jump, but I’m not that athletic,” he explained. “When I was in the game, I contributed and did my best.”

He works as a day trader

After retiring from basketball, Ellis became a day trader — someone who buys and sells stocks for a living.

“S&P 500 … that’s the only instrument I trade. I studied and went all in,” he said on The Viall Files, admitting that it took some trial and error. “The first three years, I lost everything that I had in the market, but I stuck at it.”

Ellis continued, “It’s a process that tests who you are. It tests your resilience and your ability to weather the storm.”

He was on Jenn Tran’s season of The Bachelorette 

Ellis was among the men vying for Jenn Tran’s heart on season 21 of The Bachelorette. His elimination from the show came just before hometown dates, and shortly after, Ellis informed Tran that he was falling in love with her.

“I want to be happy. I want a wife. I want to be in love,” he said during his farewell on-camera interview. “I want to give everything to somebody, and I want them to give everything to me in return. I don’t know what else to say. I did not think that was going to happen tonight.”

As for what he hopes to achieve in his Bachelor season, Ellis wants viewers to get to know him better.

“On Jenn’s season I didn’t really get to show who I was: my personality, my sense of humor and just the way I am on an everyday basis,” he told PEOPLE. “I think that that’ll come across in the season. Hopefully people get to know my story, and hopefully it inspires some people.”

He’s looking for a partner who is “compassionate”

Before going on the dating reality competition, Ellis had been single for over a year following a seven-year relationship. He shared with Viall that their “amicable” separation was due to different life trajectories.

Now that he’s back in the spotlight, Ellis is looking for a future wife who isn’t afraid to work on their relationship through the good and bad.

“It’s really easy for somebody to tell you what they want, but I think that actions speak louder than words,” he told PEOPLE. “I think that there’s a certain maturity level that comes with wanting a family and wanting a long-lasting relationship, so I think that maturity was something that I looked for in these women.”

At the same time, The Bachelor star will try to spot potential red flags, like “starting drama” and “gossiping.”

“For me, a red flag is somebody who’s too self-absorbed,” he explained. “I like when somebody’s compassionate and somebody has a heart for other people because that’s the way I am, so I feel like it has to mesh with how I feel. And then hygiene is a big thing for me, too!”

If Ellis does find the love of his life on The Bachelor, he told Viall that he’s willing to pack up his life in Houston and move elsewhere. “I’m willing and open to relocate. I’m pretty flexible,” he said.

He prepped for his Bachelor season in different ways

Ellis appeared on the “Men Tell All” episode of The Bachelorette season 21, where he spoke with host Jesse Palmer about how he was mentally and physically preparing for his season of The Bachelor.

“Developing my emotional intelligence, that’s something I’m definitely going to do,” he said, jokingly adding, “And doing 100 pushups a day.”

While speaking to PEOPLE in August 2024, former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay offered Ellis some advice, saying, “Trust your gut. Listen to that inner voice, and follow that. Don’t let other people do it for you.”

Ahead of the season 29 premiere, Ellis thanked Palmer for being supportive during the process.

“He was helpful all throughout the journey,” Ellis told PEOPLE. “We’re both athletes, we kind of had that lingo down, and we both had the same mindset. And he has his wife and his kids, so I really looked for his advice and his input.”