Bonzi Wells facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Bonzi Wells

Wells with the Rockets in 2008
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Assistant coach
Personal information
Born	(1976-09-28) September 28, 1976 (age 48) Muncie, Indiana, U.S.
High school	Muncie Central (Muncie, Indiana)
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
College	Ball State (1994–1998)
NBA Draft	1998 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11th overall
Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Pro career	1998–2010
Coaching career	2021–present
League	Atlantic Coast Conference
Career history
As player:
1998–2003	Portland Trail Blazers
2003–2005	Memphis Grizzlies
2005–2006	Sacramento Kings
2006–2008	Houston Rockets
2008	New Orleans Hornets
2008–2009	Shanxi Zhongyu
2009–2010	Capitanes de Arecibo
As coach:
2021–2023	LeMoyne–Owen
2023–present	Georgia Tech (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
BSN champion (2010) Second-team All-American – USBWA (1998) Third-team All-American – AP (1998) NCAA steals leader (1998) 2× MAC Player of the Year (1996, 1998) 3× First-team All-MAC (1996–1998) No. 42 retired by Ball State Cardinals

Gawen DeAngelo "Bonzi" Wells (born September 28, 1976) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. He is currently an assistant coach for the Georgia Tech team. Before that, he was the head coach at LeMoyne-Owen. Wells played college basketball at Ball State University and was chosen in the 1998 NBA draft. He played for five different teams in the NBA from 1998 to 2008. These teams included the Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, and New Orleans Hornets.

College Basketball Career

Bonzi Wells went to Muncie Central High School before playing basketball at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. In the 1995–96 season, he was named the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Freshman Player of the Year. He also helped his team, the Cardinals, reach the NCAA Tournament.

Wells broke a conference record for career points on February 21, 1998. He scored 2,377 points, passing Ron Harper's record. After his record-breaking dunk, the game was paused, and Wells received the game ball. In 1998, Wells also led the MAC in steals with 73. He averaged 3.55 steals in 29 games that season.

Wells led the MAC in steals every year he played at Ball State. He finished his college career as the MAC's all-time leader in both points (2,485) and steals (347). During his time at Ball State, he averaged 21.4 points, 3 steals, and 7.3 rebounds per game.

The Detroit Pistons picked Wells as the eleventh overall player in the 1998 NBA draft. However, he never played for the Pistons. His draft rights were traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for a future draft pick. Six years later, Ball State honored Wells by retiring his jersey number, 42, because of his great achievements.

Professional Basketball Career

Wells warms up with the Grizzlies before a game in 2005.

Wells takes the ball up court for the Sacramento Kings.

Wells guards Gerald Wallace of the Charlotte Bobcats.

Playing for the Portland Trail Blazers (1998–2003)

Bonzi Wells played as a swingman for the Portland Trail Blazers. He reached his highest scoring numbers during this time and improved his defense. Wells was known for his strong personality and sometimes had disagreements.

During his time with the Blazers, Wells had some incidents. He was suspended for two games after a disagreement with his coach. He was also fined for making an inappropriate gesture to a fan during a game. Wells was suspended and fined again for an incident with an official in 2000. In 2001, Wells and a teammate were involved in an incident where they did not follow police instructions at a public place.

Despite these challenges, Wells also had positive moments in Portland. On February 24, 2001, he set a career high with 7 steals in one game. He also scored 21 points and had 7 assists in that game. In the 2003 NBA Playoffs, he set a team record by scoring 45 points in a playoff game against the Dallas Mavericks. Wells and his co-captain helped the Trail Blazers push the Mavericks to a deciding Game 7. However, the Mavericks won the series.

Thirteen games into the next season, Wells was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. This trade was part of the Trail Blazers' effort to change their team.

Playing for the Memphis Grizzlies (2003–2005)

When Wells joined the Memphis Grizzlies, coach Hubie Brown used a strict player rotation. This meant Wells played less than 25 minutes per game. This coaching style helped the Grizzlies make their first playoff appearance ever.

In the middle of the 2004–05 NBA season, Coach Brown left, and Mike Fratello became the new head coach. It seemed like Wells might get more playing time. However, this did not happen. In the 2005 playoffs, Wells played only 27 minutes in total. He was suspended for Game 2 of the series against the Phoenix Suns for reasons that were not shared. He played only nine minutes in Game 3 and did not play in the final Game 4.

Playing for the Sacramento Kings (2005–2006)

Before the 2005–06 NBA season, the Kings got Wells from the Grizzlies in a trade. He had to change his jersey number from 6 to 42 because the number 6 was retired by the Kings to honor their fans.

Early in the season, Wells was a strong rebounder for the Kings. He achieved his best numbers in rebounds and also had excellent assists and steals. In the playoffs, Wells played very well. He averaged 23.2 points and 12 rebounds per game in 6 games against the San Antonio Spurs. Even though the Kings lost the series, Wells's performance was impressive. When Wells became a free agent after the season, his teammate Ron Artest (now Metta World Peace) even offered to give up his own salary to keep Wells on the team.

Playing for the Houston Rockets (2006–2008)

Just before the 2006 training camp, Wells signed with the Houston Rockets. He took a lower salary of $2 million for the first season. This was a good deal for the Rockets, as Wells had turned down a much larger offer from the Kings.

Wells missed the start of training camp due to a groin injury and later missed more days for dental work. He was also absent for "personal reasons" more than once. Coach Jeff Van Gundy was not happy with Wells's weight and fitness. He put Wells on the inactive list and had him work with trainers to improve his conditioning. Eventually, Van Gundy told him to stay away from the Toyota Center.

In December, Wells and his coach resolved their differences, and Bonzi was allowed back to practice. He returned to play on December 12. His playing time slowly increased, and he scored 14 points in a win against his old team, the Trail Blazers. In late December, he got a back injury and missed 10 games. He returned on January 17 and played consistently off the bench.

On April 9, Wells did not show up for a road trip. He left a message saying he felt he was "disrupting team chemistry." After Coach Jeff Van Gundy was fired and Rick Adelman became the new coach, Wells said he wanted to return. On June 23, it was announced that he would stay with the Rockets for the last year of his contract.

Playing for the New Orleans Hornets (2008)

On February 21, 2008, Wells was traded to the New Orleans Hornets as part of a three-team deal. He made his Hornets debut on February 23, scoring 2 points and grabbing 3 rebounds. On March 22, Wells set a career high with 8 steals in one game during a win against the Boston Celtics. The Hornets decided not to renew Wells's contract for the 2008–09 NBA season.

Playing in China and Puerto Rico (2008–2010)

Wells chose to play for Shanxi Zhongyu in the Chinese Basketball Association instead of taking the NBA's minimum salary. In his first game with Shanxi Zhongyu, he scored 48 points and had 11 rebounds. However, his contract with the team ended on February 2, 2009, because he did not return to the team on time after the Chinese New Year break.

On November 25, 2009, Wells signed a contract with the Puerto Rican team Capitanes de Arecibo. In December 2011, Wells signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he did not make their final team roster.

Personal Life

Gawen DeAngelo Wells is named after his father, Gawen Wells. His nickname, Bonzi, came from his mother's cravings for ice cream bonbons when she was pregnant with him. His parents called him "bonbon" until he was two, and it later became "Bonzi." He has three sons: Duane, Gawen, and Christian.

In 2003, the Roy C. Buley Community Center in his hometown named its gymnasium the Bonzi Wells Gymnasium in his honor. Wells had donated money to help keep the gymnasium open. He recalled a memory from his childhood at the center when his uncle picked him for a game. He said that day made him want to be one of the best players. Wells said he donated for the children and did not expect such a reaction.

Wells left Ball State to join the NBA before finishing his degree. However, he returned to college and earned his degree in 2014. He later shared that his favorite memory was not about basketball, but seeing the smiles on his parents' faces when he graduated. In 2019, Wells worked as a Sports Envoy to China for the U.S. State Department.

NBA Career Statistics

Regular Season

Playoffs

See also

In Spanish: Bonzi Wells para niños

• List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season steals leaders
• List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career steals leaders