zone on Main Street in Pineville, N.C. Court records show he paid a $25 fine and $86 in court costs. He nearly died from a flattened aorta suffered during the crash, and endured otherinjuries like a broken hand, a torn knee ligament, and numerous cuts and bruises. We spent some long, long days, and I got some dirty looks [from Trey] sometimes, but we got it fixed, Silas said. who were killed in accidents: Drazen Petrovic (1993) and Terry Late NBA star Bobby Phills Death, Wife, Funeral, Son, Family, Net worth He said Phillss death would haunt him for the rest of his life. That didnt impress me at all, Jobe recalled. Basically, as soon as I got [to summer league], [Phills] threw me his practice stuff, Davis recalled. everyone respected and admired. It was capitalism that hooked him. I knew if I could just get on the court after it happened, that it would give me a moments peace, even if it was only five minutes, Wesley said. CHARLOTTE, Feb. 9 -- The Hornets retired Bobby Phills' No. "What did we do to deserve this? It will not happen again.. The Hornets game against the Chicago Bulls, which was scheduled the night of the Phills accident, was postponed. Phills attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. I just remember guys crying, said Stephen Silas, who worked as a scout on his fathers staff. Heck, I got angry. The 30-year-old guard had just left a shootaround at the Charlotte Coliseum when the two-car accident happened, club spokesman Jonathan Supranowitz said. 's sportsmanship award. It took firefighters more than two hours to pry Phills's body from the car. Stunned teammates and Hornets officials gathered at the accident scene less than a mile from Charlotte Coliseum, where minutes earlier Phills and the other players had been practicing for tonight's game with the Chicago Bulls. Davis also incorporated lessons from Phills over his 13 seasons in the NBA. He answered, crying. Police said the men were racing their Porsches at speeds of morethan 100 mph when Phills crashed. Or the times Phills had called him a high school coach for advice on how to guard Michael Jordan. He gets rebounds. [5] The drivers of the other two vehicles recovered, while Phills was pronounced dead at the scene. Veering into the coming traffic, his black 1997 Porsche with a vanity license plate that read ''SLAM'N'' was hit by an Oldsmobile Cutlass Sierra driven by Robert Taylor Woolard Jr., 31, absorbing the impact on the driver's side door. It just dont make no sense. human being," said Southern University Chancellor Edward R. Hornets guard killed in car accident - January 13, 2000 He had all the things that you want in a human being. He seemed like a great person on and off the court, Trey said. Honestly, I dont know what happened after that. "The skid marks indicate he was not going in a straight line," he said. Kids started acting different. He is a longtime friend of Indiana Pacers consultantand former New York Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh. To be honest, Trey said, she might be tougher than me on the court., As promising as the Phills childrens basketball careers have been, Bobby Phillss college coach Jobe hopes to see them honor their fathers legacy off the court. [5] A police report said Phills and Wesley were driving "in an erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner. Yeah, Bobby was perfect. In May, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Steve Chiasson was killed after he lost control of his pickup truck in Raleigh. She saw paramedics on the scene and feared the worst as she turned to look at her husbands Porsche. It was so terrible, and its something Ill never, ever forget.. Charlotte Hornet guard Bobby Phills was killed Wednesday when he crashed into a car while speeding after practice, police said. His teammate Derrick Coleman, driving the sport utility vehicle in which Recasner was a passenger, was arrested on a drunken driving charge. He played college basketball for the Yale Bulldogs and now plays for the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League. He recalled only two players who had never turned down requests to appear at charitable events. Bobby Phills' tragic death in 2000 shocked and saddened the basketball world Jan. 12, 2000 was just another practice day for Bobby Phills and the Charlotte Hornets. In 2004, the NBA added an expansion team, the Charlotte Bobcats. We believed in offense first, defense second, he said. Wesley remained with the franchise when the Hornets moved from Charlotte to New Orleans in 2002. court records. He is also survived by his parents. Wesley: 'It gets a little easier and easier each day' - ESPN when he lost control of his black Porsche. He was my partner in crime, he said. ESPN.com - NBA - Phills' death compounds Carolina's misery That boy he was speeding with, I dont know what I would have done if I would have seen him. Rabalais: Bobby Phills' jersey returns to the rafters in Charlotte Tests showed he was legally drunk. Kendall walked onto the court, accompanied by Trey, Kerstie, and Brittany Dixon (Bobbys daughter from a different relationship). The Hornets returned to the court January 15, three days after Phillss death, with a loss to the Knicks in New York. On the first anniversary of the accident, Wesley buried a deep 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds remaining to lift Charlotte to an 86-85 win over the Bulls. And to bring that back and let them enjoy that moment, what those memories about Bobby Phills represented to them, means a lot to the organization.. At the same time, he took the most of his opportunities, and it really pushed him., Trey has pushed himself in similarly broad pursuits. By the time she returned home, Bobby had left for shootaround. He meant a lot to this city, Jordan said at a press conference before the ceremony. [Those] were a couple of things that sparked our attention. Meanwhile, younger sister Kerstie is on the same track. . Things changed, Jobe said. Silas, known as one of the greatest enforcers and all-around tough guys in NBA history, broke down in tears. Then one day it changed to a place where a life was taken and so many lives were affected because of that one day," Hornets assistant coach Stephen Silas said. It was one of the worst things that I had ever been through in my life. Shortly after the accident, the Hornets met at the facility. The older you get, the more you appreciate people like him. Active in the community, Phills volunteered for children's Maybe he didnt say that, Shinn thought, trying to rationalize what hed heard. He averaged 26 points and 13 rebounds his senior year and helped the team to a state championship. 2023 ESPN Internet Ventures. From people that Ive talked to, they say it doesnt go away. I know people dont think it, but its easy because its just you and the basket. Jobe sat Phills down. There had been an accident. Leave him alone. Phills graduated with a 3.2 GPA and a degree in animal science. ''Bobby was a solid person,'' said Wayne Embry, the Cavaliers' president. (Charlottes game against the Knicks that night was also postponed.) had been practicing for Wednesday night's game with the Chicago He was a loving father and husband, Davis said of Phills. After being cut in December 1991 without playing a game for the Bucks, Phills had a stint with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the Continental Basketball Association before being signed by the Cavaliers and rejoining the NBA late in the 1991-92 season. When the Hornets moved to New Orleans, his retired jersey went. A family man. When a salary dispute led to Cowenss sudden resignation in 1999, Silas inherited the top job. A minivan taxi driven by Yao Agbegbon hit the rear end of Woolard's car almost instantaneously. Phills Sr. believes he could have easily hit his head on the deck. The pain lessens, but there probably wont be a day that I wont think about it. Wesley had always used basketball as therapy; when something bothered him, he could retreat to the game. Kerstie Phills embodies mother, late father from NBA on and off court Continue with Recommended Cookies, Charlotte Hornets Bobby Phills Killed In Car Crash Brief Article Obituary. Bobby Phills died in a car crash after leaving a Hornets practice in January 2000 when Trey was 3 years old. Woolards car then was rear-ended by a minivan taxi driven by Yao Agbegbon, 33. A female passenger was hurt in that collision with a tractor-trailer. We never got beside each other and was like, OK, vroom, vroom. It was just a road that was fairly straight, and you wouldnt go through that whole street at that speed, but you might kind of gun it, see what its like., Wesley maneuvered around a bend in the road and looked in his rearview mirror. I had some real jocks they werent interested in anything but playing ball. A minute passed. Phills would sign autographs until his hand hurt. From what I can see, he hasnt moved or done anything.. The day is going pretty decently, Robert Woolard Jr. thought. Obviously, I played against him. I do for having met someone like him so early in my career.. You always thought you had something to prove, said Wesley, who made his career as a strong, table-setting point guard. No. The black car carried a vanity plate that read SLAMN. That was his dream car, recalled Phillss younger brother Dwayne. What's more impressive, however, is that Bobby was a true man. 13 remains the only number to be retired by the team. Who knows what happened? The Hornets brought the franchises history with the team to Phillss native Louisiana, where he never played professionally. Phillss former teammates Todd Fuller, Chucky Brown, and David Wesley attended the ceremony. Woolard loved cars all types and he noticed a black Porsche on Tyvola. owner George Shinn said in a statement. Trey Phills said. ", NBA commissioner David Stern said Phills was "a caring member of the community.". A Columbia, S.C., jury found in his favor in December. Phills, 30, was leaving a team practice at the Charlotte Coliseum about 11 a.m. Wednesday when he lost control of his car less than a mile from the arena. All rights reserved. In many cases, thats all they had the intellect to do. Ill watch some videotape of Bobby. Two days later, members of the Hornets and Knicks attended Phillss memorial service. Before long, Jobe noticed slips of paper arriving under his office door Phills had begun charting his daily makes and misses. He had already been admitted to the veterinarian school, but someone convinced him he could make money [in basketball], Jobe said. The team said Phills was killed instantly. You stepped into my life on May 20, 2000, like an angel, Lisa Sealy wrote in a note for an event marking the first anniversary of Bobby Phillss death. He reached for a towel and used it to blindfold Phills. He was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha. According to the NBA, there have been three other active players who were killed in accidents: Drazen Petrovic (1993) and Terry Furlow (1980) in car crashes and Nick Vanos (1987) in an air crash. to go on to med school like he talked about when he was a kid.". Look, I understand the way things are with you guys, Silas told his shellshocked team. He was every girls husband, every childs father. Though he made a name for himself as a shooter during his college career, Phills became known as a tenacious wing defender in the NBA. While taking Advanced Placement classes at Charlotte Christian, his grade point average hovered near 5.0. Witnesses said teammate David Wesley, driving another car at the scene, also may have been speeding, police spokesman Keith Bridges said. She pulled in behind George Shinns car. He was far enough back to where I wasnt even sure he was going to make the light, but he made the light. Wesley said they both accelerated: It couldnt have been a mile, and that was kind of it. Phills is survived by his wife, Kendall, and two children, Bobby Ray III, 3, and Kerstie, 1. Bobby Phills - Wikipedia He had a way of making you feel like you were one of his best friends, when maybe you were just a friend, Wesley said. Hornets' Phills Killed in Car Wreck\ the Nba Guard Isremembered As a Michael Jordan called Phills the toughest defender he ever faced. Son of late Hornets star Bobby Phills works out for Charlotte And thats what happened. Hornets' Phills Killed in Car Crash In one game, Phills hounded Jordan into 9-for-27 shooting. Now take your shoes and socks off, Jobe said, [and then] put them back on just the way you took them off. Phills did just that. List of basketball players who died during their careers, List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season 3-point field goal leaders, "Yale's Trey Phills Looks to Emulate His Dad, Ex-NBA Guard Bobby Phills, Who Died in 2000", Hornets guard Bobby Phills killed in car wreck, An Animal Intensity Cavaliers Guard Bobby Phills Is That Rarest Of Breeds: A Demon On D Who Can Also Nail The Three, PRO BASKETBALL; Hornets' Phills Killed in Car Crash, N.B.A. Now go shoot a thousand shots a day, Jobe said. Phills' death was another in a series of shocks to hit North Carolina sports in recent months. Im on my way there now, and its really bad. Dwayne decided not to say anything to his mother until he knew more. Click here to watch Jalen & Jacoby, Grantland Features, and video podcasts. As an assistant, Silas had often run Phills through drills during training sessions. I didnt say anything to those guys about Weve got to play harder. I knew that they had played as hard as they possibly could [just] so we could make the playoffs.. class humanitarian.". Amanda OHara sits down with former Charlotte Hornets player, Bobby Phills family to discuss their foundation and Phills kids goals. When something like that happens, you blame everybody. Jobe reminded Phills that Phills had said he wanted to be a doctor, not a basketball player. was in the third year of a seven-year, $33 million contract. When he died, Brad Miller and Baron Davis were both beginning their NBA careers, but in opposite ways. [8] His jersey hung from the rafters of the Charlotte Coliseum until the franchise relocated to New Orleans in 2002; it was then displayed in the New Orleans Arena until 2013. You need to let me coach him, Brewer said. Its one thing for me to tell him, Oh, Trey, youre good. But to hear you have a father that was an NBA player some of [Bobbys former teammates] were still in the NBA, and although theyd check on my family, no one had the time to pour into my son., It was no surprise that both Trey and his sister, Kerstie, gravitated to basketball. ''. The ceremony included a . Phills' Hornets teammates also wore a patch bearing his' #13 on their jerseys for the remainder of the 19992000 season. Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter. Trey looked up to Henderson; he says he has observed aspects of the swingmans game that remind him of his fathers. Joe Fraziers Daughter, Jacqui Frazier Lyde, Challenges Muhammad Alis Daughter, Laila, To A Boxing , Earth, Wind & Fire makes mark on Rock Walk Entertainment music group inducted to RockWalk of, How To Deal With Your Childs Bad Dreams Brief Article
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