Gawen DeAngelo "Bonzi" Wells was born on September 28,1976 and is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the LeMoyne-Owen Magicians men's basketball team.
30 Facts About Bonzi Wells
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Bonzi Wells played college basketball at Ball State University and was drafted in the 1998 NBA draft.
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Bonzi Wells attended Muncie Central High School and then went on to play at Ball State University, in Muncie.
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Bonzi Wells broke Ron Harper's conference record of 2,377 career points on a one-handed dunk against Northern Illinois on February 21,1998.
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Bonzi Wells led the Mid-American Conference in steals in 1998 with 73, averaging 3.55 steals in 29 games.
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Bonzi Wells led the conference in steals during all four years at Ball State and finished his career as the Mid-American Conference all-time career records in points and steals.
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Bonzi Wells was selected eleventh overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 1998 NBA draft, but he never played for the Pistons as his draft rights were traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for the Blazers' 1999 first round pick.
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Bonzi Wells did have his share of on- and off-court incidents.
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Bonzi Wells was fined in a separate incident for making an obscene gesture to a fan in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
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On February 24,2001, Bonzi Wells recorded a then career high 7 steals in one game, while scoring 21 points and recording 7 assists.
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Bonzi Wells set the franchise record for most points scored in a playoff game at 45 against the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2003 NBA Playoffs.
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The Mavericks won the series, and thirteen games into the following season Bonzi Wells was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for Wesley Person and a 2004 first-round pick.
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Bonzi Wells returned in Game 3, only to play nine minutes.
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Bonzi Wells was forced to change his jersey number from 6 to 42 upon arrival.
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When Bonzi Wells entered free agency at the closing of the season, teammate Ron Artest offered to forgo his entire salary in order to keep him on the team.
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The day before the 2006 training camp began, Bonzi Wells signed with the Houston Rockets, with a salary of "only" $2 million in the initial season.
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Bonzi Wells missed the beginning of training camp recovering from a groin injury, and then missed several days following dental work.
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Bonzi Wells played only 30 minutes total, scoring only six points, in the Rockets' second and third games of the season.
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Bonzi Wells was not pleased with his playing time, and neither was coach Jeff Van Gundy with Bonzi Wells' weight and lack of conditioning.
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Bonzi Wells's status was unknown, but it was reported that he left a message on athletic trainer Keith Jones' answering machine.
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On February 21,2008, Bonzi Wells was traded to the New Orleans Hornets along with Mike James as part of a three-team deal involving Houston and the Memphis Grizzlies.
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Bonzi Wells chose to sign with Shanxi Zhongyu of the Chinese Basketball Association rather than play for the NBA's minimum salary.
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On November 25,2009 Bonzi Wells signed a contract with Puerto Rican team Capitanes de Arecibo.
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In December 2011, Bonzi Wells signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he did not make their final roster.
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Gawen DeAngelo Bonzi Wells is named after his father Gawen Bonzi Wells.
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The nickname, Bonzi Wells, originated from the cravings his mother, Christine Scaife Coleman, had for ice cream bonbons during her pregnancy with him.
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Bonzi Wells's parents called him "bonbon" until the age of two, and it eventually evolved into what it is today.
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Bonzi Wells is the father to three sons, Duane, Gawen and Christian.
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In 2003, Wells shed tears when his hometown Roy C Buley Community Center named its gymnasium in his honor.
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In 2019, Bonzi Wells served as a Sports Envoy to China for the US State Department's Sports Diplomacy Office.