Bonzi Wells facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Bonzi Wells

Wells with the Rockets in February 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 college basketball coach and former professional player. He is currently an assistant coach at Georgia Tech. Before that, he was the head coach at LeMoyne-Owen.

Wells played college basketball at Ball State University. He was chosen in the 1998 NBA draft. In the NBA, Wells played for five teams from 1998 to 2008. These teams included the Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, and New Orleans Hornets.

College Basketball Star

Bonzi Wells went to Muncie Central High School. Then, he played basketball at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. In his first year, 1995–96, 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 Ron Harper's conference record for career points. He scored 2,377 points on February 21, 1998. This happened with a one-handed dunk against Northern Illinois. The crowd cheered loudly, and Wells was given the game ball.

He also led the MAC in steals in 1998 with 73. He averaged 3.55 steals per game. Wells led the conference in steals every year he played at Ball State. He finished his college career as the MAC all-time leader in points (2,485) and steals (347). While at Ball State, he averaged 21.4 points, 3 steals, and 7.3 rebounds per game.

The Detroit Pistons picked him eleventh overall in the 1998 NBA draft. However, he never played for them. His draft rights were traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. Years later, Ball State honored him by retiring his jersey number, 42.

Professional Basketball Journey

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)

As a swingman for Portland, Wells reached his highest scoring numbers. He also improved his defense. During his time with the Blazers, he had some challenging moments. He was suspended for two games after showing frustration with his coach. He was also fined for an incident with a fan. In 2000, he was suspended and fined for an issue with an official.

Despite these challenges, Wells also had many 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. He set a team record for most points in a playoff game with 45. This happened against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2003 NBA Playoffs. Wells helped the Trail Blazers push the series to a decisive Game 7. The Mavericks, led by Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki, 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 image.

Time with the Memphis Grizzlies (2003–2005)

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

Coach Brown left during the 2004–05 season. Mike Fratello took over as head coach. Wells hoped for more playing time. However, he played only 27 minutes in the Grizzlies' second playoff appearance in 2005. He was suspended for Game 2 of the series against the Phoenix Suns. He played only nine minutes in Game 3 and did not play in the final Game 4.

Joining the Sacramento Kings (2005–2006)

Before the 2005–06 NBA season, Wells was traded to the Kings. He came from the Grizzlies in exchange for point guard Bobby Jackson and center Greg Ostertag. He also had to change his jersey number from 6 to 42. The Kings had retired number 6 to honor their fans.

Early in the season, Wells was a strong rebounder for the Kings. He achieved career-best numbers in rebounds. He 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. This was against the San Antonio Spurs. Even though the Kings lost the series, his teammate Ron Artest (now Metta World Peace) was very impressed. Artest even offered to give up his own salary to keep Wells on the team.

Playing for the Houston Rockets (2006–2008)

Wells signed with the Houston Rockets before the 2006 training camp. His salary was $2 million in the first season. This was seen as a great deal for the Rockets. Wells had turned down a much larger offer from the Kings.

Wells missed the start of training camp due to injuries and dental work. He was also absent sometimes for "personal reasons." He played very little in the Rockets' early games. Wells was not happy with his playing time. Coach Jeff Van Gundy was also not happy with Wells' fitness. Van Gundy put Wells on the inactive list. He was told to work with trainers to get in better shape.

In December, Wells and his coach worked things out. Bonzi was allowed back to practice. He returned to play on December 12. His playing time slowly increased. He scored 14 points in a win against his old team, the Trail Blazers.

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, former Kings coach Rick Adelman became the new coach. Wells said he wanted to return. On June 23, he decided to stay with the Rockets for the last year of his contract.

With the New Orleans Hornets (2008)

On February 21, 2008, Wells was traded to the New Orleans Hornets. This was part of a three-team trade. It also involved Houston and the Memphis Grizzlies. The trade sent Bobby Jackson to Houston. This was the second time Wells and Jackson were traded for each other.

On February 23, Wells played his first game for the Hornets. He scored 2 points, had 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals. On March 22, Wells set a career high with 8 steals in one game. This was during a 113–106 win over the Boston Celtics. The Hornets did not offer Wells a new contract for the 2008–09 NBA season.

Playing Overseas (2008–2010)

Wells decided to play for Shanxi Zhongyu in the Chinese Basketball Association. He chose this over playing for the NBA's minimum salary. In his first game with Shanxi Zhongyu, he scored 48 points and had 11 rebounds. His contract was ended on February 2, 2009. This happened because he did not return to the team quickly after the Chinese New Year break.

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

About Bonzi Wells's 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 became "Bonzi." He has three sons: Duane, Gawen, and Christian.

In 2003, the Roy C. Buley Community Center in his hometown named its gymnasium after him. It is now called the Bonzi Wells Gymnasium. Wells had donated money to help keep the gym open. He said he did it "for the children." He remembered being a small child at the center, hoping to be picked for a game. When his uncle finally picked him, he played as hard as he could. He said that day made him want to be one of the best players.

Wells left Ball State to join the NBA before finishing his degree. But he went back to college and earned his degree in 2014. He later said his favorite memory was not about basketball. It was the happy smiles on his parents' faces when he graduated.

In 2019, Wells worked as a Sports Envoy to China. This was for the U.S. State Department's Sports Diplomacy Office.

NBA Career Stats

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