Raja Dia Bell was born on September 19,1976 and is an American former professional basketball player.
37 Facts About Raja Bell
2.
Raja Bell played in the National Basketball Association for the Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Charlotte Bobcats, and Golden State Warriors.
3.
Raja Bell was twice named to the NBA All-Defensive Team in his career.
4.
Raja Bell was born on Saint Croix, in the US Virgin Islands and grew up in the greater Miami, Florida area, attending Ponce de Leon Junior High School, Gulliver Academy and Miami Killian Senior High School.
5.
Raja Bell began his college career at Boston University, where he was America East Conference Freshman of the Year.
6.
Raja Bell then transferred to Florida International University in Miami for his junior and senior seasons.
7.
Raja Bell went undrafted out of college in the 1999 NBA draft.
8.
Raja Bell began his professional career with the Yakima Sun Kings of the Continental Basketball Association.
9.
Raja Bell was selected to the CBA All-Rookie Team in 2000.
10.
Raja Bell signed as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs on August 2,2000, but never played a game for them.
11.
Raja Bell was eventually released, and then signed the first of two 10 day contracts with the Philadelphia 76ers on April 6,2001.
12.
Raja Bell later signed a contract for the rest of the season after the two 10 day contracts expired.
13.
The little-used Raja Bell starred in Game 7 of the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals, scoring 10 points and rallying the Sixers from an early deficit against the Bucks as the 76ers won easily.
14.
Raja Bell played in all five games for the 76ers in the 2001 NBA Finals.
15.
On October 1,2002, Raja Bell signed as a free agent with the Dallas Mavericks, and he averaged 3.1 points in 15.6 minutes per game.
16.
Raja Bell averaged 5.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in 17 post-season games with the 2003 Mavericks as the team advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
17.
On September 26,2003, Raja Bell signed with the Utah Jazz, and enjoyed what had been his most successful season since entering the NBA.
18.
Raja Bell played in all 82 of the Jazz's games, and despite starting in only four of them, he posted career highs with 11.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 24.6 minutes per game.
19.
Raja Bell responded to the presence of Steve Nash and became an extremely solid contributor.
20.
Raja Bell was chosen to participate in the 2006 NBA Footlocker Three-Point Shootout, but did not participate due to a family illness and was replaced by Gilbert Arenas.
21.
One of the most notable incidents of Raja Bell's career occurred in the 2006 NBA Playoffs on May 2,2006, in Game 5 of a first round series against the Los Angeles Lakers.
22.
Raja Bell clotheslined Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant on a hard foul, resulting in an ejection.
23.
In Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, midway through the fourth quarter, Raja Bell sustained a calf injury which forced him to miss the rest of the game, as well as the next two games of the series.
24.
Raja Bell returned in Game 4 to help the Suns tie the series at two games apiece, though they eventually fell to the Mavericks.
25.
On January 5,2007, Raja Bell was suspended one game without pay for kicking Andrea Bargnani in a road game against the Toronto Raptors.
26.
On December 10,2008, Raja Bell was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats along with Boris Diaw and Sean Singletary in exchange for Jason Richardson, Jared Dudley and a 2010 second-round draft pick in a move by the Suns to retool their roster.
27.
On November 16,2009, Raja Bell was traded to the Golden State Warriors along with Vladimir Radmanovic in exchange for Stephen Jackson and Acie Law.
28.
Raja Bell played just one game for the Warriors; in his lone performance scoring 11 points while hitting all three of his three-point attempts.
29.
Raja Bell was released from the team on March 22,2010.
30.
On July 14,2010, Raja Bell signed a three-year, $10 million contract to return to the Utah Jazz.
31.
On February 13,2014, Raja Bell announced his retirement from basketball.
32.
Raja Bell won an NBA Championship with the Cavs in 2016 in this role.
33.
In early 2016, Raja Bell was named a finalist for the Kenny Whetham Memorial Trophy for his off-court efforts in the community.
34.
Raja Bell's wife gave birth to another child, Tai Brooklyn, on November 8,2008.
35.
Raja Bell has been a vegetarian since the age of 2 and has stated he does not eat eggs.
36.
In 2014, Bell began posting on Instagram under the username Rajadia19, a verified account.
37.
In July 2020, Bell created a Twitter account with the username RajaBell19, a nod to the number he wore most often as an NBA player.