He joined the Hornets in 1997 after six years with Cleveland and was in the third year of a seven-year, $33 million contract. The game was postponed. had been practicing for Wednesday night's game with the Chicago "The firemen wouldn't let me go near his body. He touched all of our lives, said Bob Bass, the Hornets executive vice president of basketball operations. The finality of it didntcross his mind until Kendall called again and he heard the words, Hes dead., That moment just sat in my mind, Dwayne said. Phills agreed, and a couple weeks later, he approached the coach. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. successfully completed the National Safety Council's "He had extreme high character. He was considered one of the team leaders. 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. The next month, Wesley was charged with two misdemeanors: speed competition and reckless driving. I dont know his face. For a rookie like myself, he was the veteran guy that you patterned yourself after. The two other drivers were hospitalized and listed in stable condition. Who knows what happened? The other driver was slumped, unmoving, blood trickling from his nose. Listed in stable condition at Presbyterian Hospital were Robert Woolard Jr., 31, of Cornelius, the driver of the other car; and Yao Agbegbon, 33, of Charlotte, who was driving a minivan taxi, Bridges said. And we only passed maybe one, two cars, before the accident." Phills: But Bobby Phills was driving too fast, and so was David Wesley, and Phills' car crashed, and he died instantly. Princeton, Stanford, Harvard, and other elite colleges recruited him. In 1998, he was one of four finalists for the N.B.A. While the No. You cant let us look at the tape for that long, Phills said. Shinn found his worst fears confirmed. Silas joined Charlotte in 1997 as an assistant under Dave Cowens. The following season, on the morning of Phillss death, Silas fumed at his team. If there's a person you would want your children to be, a role model, it's Bobby Phills. Listed in stable condition at Presbyterian Hospital were Robert Woolard Jr., 31, of Cornelius, the driver of the other car; and Yao Agbegbon, 33, of Charlotte, who was driving a minivan taxi, Bridges said. The vehicle skidded several hundred feet and into oncoming traffic, where it collided head-on with another car. "He was a very in-depth person and just a treasure to be around," he said. I go through the light. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. 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.. CHARLOTTE, N.C.-Bobby Phills of the Charlotte Hornets was killed yesterday when he wrecked his speeding Porsche after a morning practice at the team's arena, police said. 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. In 1998, he was one of four finalists for the NBA's sportsmanship award and started the "Bobby Phills Educational Foundation.". Phills spent the bulk of his high school career in the paint, where he was often outsized but seldom outmuscled. Wallace mandated that all of his players learn to play in the post. human being," said Southern University Chancellor Edward R. It didnt look like Phills was alive. Kids started acting different. He is a longtime friend of Indiana Pacers consultantand former New York Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh. 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. News reports quoted sources who said Phills might have been racing teammate David Wesley, whose name was included on the accident report because witnesses said he also was speeding when the accident occurred, the Sun-Times reported. You sitting down? Phills Sr. knew something had to be wrong. Having coached there, I felt he didn't Over his nine-year career, he averaged 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. "He touched all of our lives," said Bob Bass, the Hornets' Hugh Wallace considered Phillss competitiveness one of the players greatest strengths. reserve. CHARLOTTE, Feb. 9 -- The Hornets retired Bobby Phills' No. His wife. Standing a chiseled 6 feet 5 inches and 232 pounds, Phills looked more like a National Football League linebacker or a sculpted bodybuilder than a lithe N.B.A. "The skid marks indicate he was not going As I grew older, you kind of realize the hardships and struggles that sometimes people go through ultimately wind up shaping you for the best person you can be.". Medical personnel removed Woolard from the car and sent him to Presbyterian Hospital. class humanitarian.". He attended Southern University, which is in Baton Rouge. Bobby Phills was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on December 20, 1969. It was just a typical day. Ben Jobe remembered Bobby Phills as everything the coach had once hoped to be, but when Phills first joined the mens varsity at Southern, Jobe accepted him only after losing out on one of Phillss high school teammates. He always had to win. An autopsy on Phills was to be performed at the medical examiner's office. Maybe he didnt say that, Shinn thought, trying to rationalize what hed heard. ''. A native of Baton Rouge, LA, Phills attended Southern University in Baton Rouge and earned a bachelors degree in animal science (pre-veterinary medicine). Once, Jobe walked into the gym to find Phillss younger brother rebounding for him. He answered, crying. It is so sad to hear of Bobby Phills' accident. Silas looked at the wreck and into Phillss car. So it didnt matter if he was racing down the street, if he was walking down the street that was his time. Charlotte finished the season with a 49-33 record, but lost to Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs. It was also the second serious traffic accident this season involving Hornets players. Bobby was in an accident, and he didnt make it. Phills Sr. doesnt remember yelling, but people later said theyd heard him scream from his office. The two lived close to one another, and after games, Phillss wife, Kendall, often drove Silass wife, Carolyn, home from the Charlotte Coliseum. Kevin Garnett reflects on the life of former teammate and friend Malik Sealy. The Associated Press The police examining the black Porsche driven by Bobby Phills in his fatal car crash Wednesday. ''The skid marks indicate he was not going in a straight line,'' he said. What's more impressive, however, is that Bobby was a true man. Stunned and tearful teammates and Hornets officials gathered at the accident scene less than a mile from the Charlotte Coliseum, where minutes earlier Phills and the other . Bridges said. I was devastated.. Police said Phills, who was driving a black Porsche, was speeding when he lost control of his car, crossed into oncoming traffic and collided into another car, which was driven by Robert Woolard, 31, the Chicago SunTimes reported. Then a few more. Brewer noticed, too: He had the skills because he worked on it, so when he became older, now hes not that skinny little boy anymore. Friday, Trey. ''A fourth car driven by David Wesley was in close proximity to the collision at the time it occurred and has been identified by a witness as driving at a high rate of speed also,'' the report said. I had some real jocks they werent interested in anything but playing ball. He had never experienced the death of someone close to him, someone who was young and vibrant and seemed destined for a long, happy life. From the darkened arena, one active Hornets player had returned early from halftime to watch the ceremony. He surveyed the wreckage, concluced that Phills had not survived, and walked over to Wesley, who was standing, speechless, with his hands on his head. 's sportsmanship award. You even have thoughts here he was with a family and everything. He had everything. In October, Hornets guard Eldridge Recasner suffered a broken shoulder and a collapsed lung and teammate Derrick Coleman was charged with drunken driving in a traffic accident. Phills Sr. had visited Bobby in Charlotte that Christmas, just a couple of weeks before the accident. Additionally, his career earnings are exposed to be $40,545,600. Phills lost control of his Porsche on a hilly curve where the Phills is survived by his wife, Kendall, and two children, Bobby Ray III, 3, and Kerstie, 1. ''Bobby was a solid person,'' said Wayne Embry, the Cavaliers' president. Phills earned a bachelor's degree in animal science from Southern University in Baton Rouge, La. Phills was killed last Jan. 12 in a car accident following a morning shootaround. "He could have been one of the foremost black leaders in the In that series, Silas sensed that his players had nothing left to give. Phills and teammate David Wesley were racing each. He said Davis told him his vehicle was positioned behind both Phills and Wesley at a stop light when the two cars accelerated as the light turned green. prayers are with his wife, Kendall, children and family," Hornets Bobby Phills Sr., Mary Phills, and Dwayne Phills also attended. ''Not only was Bobby a tremendous person, but a great husband, father and role model that everyone respected and admired,'' said George Shinn, the Hornets' owner. [Those] were a couple of things that sparked our attention. Meanwhile, younger sister Kerstie is on the same track. [5] A police report said Phills and Wesley were driving "in an erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner. Of course, when I found out who it was, I started doubting myself, Woolard said. He was every girls husband, every childs father. Phills is survived by his wife, Kendall, and two children--Bobby Ray III, 3, and Kerstie, 1. 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Fourth on the team in scoring, a captain and a leader and one of the Hornets' top reserves, he averaged 10.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists a game for his career. For years, I tried to get him to go on to med school like he talked about when he was a kid.". After a slew of injuries had hit the Cavaliers in 1993, he became a starter and led the team into the playoffs for the next four seasons. I do for having met someone like him so early in my career.. He was going 107 m.p.h. Phills and his wife have two children -- Bobby Ray III, 3, and Kerstie, 1. She called him a short time later, wondering if she should make pancakes at home or if she should meet him out. Miller, who often joined Phills and Wesley for pregame pancake meals, maintained the flapjack routine throughout the rest of his 14-year career. Phills attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. She pulled in behind George Shinns car. Minutes earlier, Phills and the other players Both Phills and Wesley have been charged with speeding in the He was 30. The police report said Phills was traveling eastbound on West Tyvola Road just before 11 a.m., less than a mile from the Charlotte Coliseum. He said Phillss death would haunt him for the rest of his life. Witnesses said teammate David Wesley, the Hornets' starting point guard, also may have been driving too fast in his own Porsche, according to police. You need to let me coach him, Brewer said. One time after a game, we were driving home. I just remember guys crying, said Stephen Silas, who worked as a scout on his fathers staff. This is the ultimate tragedy, and our immediate thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Kendall, children and family, said Hornets owner George Shinn, who visited the crash scene with other officials. And as if the axle of a wheel suddenly gave way, everyone connected to Bobby Phills fell apart. In 2004, the NBA added an expansion team, the Charlotte Bobcats. When the Knicks hired Walsh in 2008, Jobe came aboard as a scout, and he remains part of the Knicks organization. Ill go through the photo albums. Things changed, Jobe said. wrecked is 45 mph. On November 1, 2014, the newly renamed team re-honored his jersey; it currently hangs from the rafters of the Spectrum Center.[9][10]. Daddy is in heaven with the angels, Bobby Phills III told several hundred mourners at Charlottes Central Church of God before returning to the crowd and embracing his year-old sister, Kerstie. At the end of last season, Phills was averaging 10.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists a game for his career. He spent the final years of his career with the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers before retiring in 2007, and he now works as a color analyst for the Pelicans. Tests showed he was legally drunk. But in Treys case, it seemed as if he were trying to follow a shadow, like he was finding his way in the dark without his father there to light the path. him away from the NBA. A minivan taxi driven by Yao Agbegbon hit the rear end of Woolard's car almost instantaneously. Honestly, I dont know what happened after that. Nobody was there to validate him, Kendall said. 65-mph zone on Interstate 485. He was someone that you would want your children to be like.". Took the sheet off his body, Kendall said. Woolard, an insurance adjuster and appraiser and native North Carolinian, had just finished inspecting one vehicle and was headed uptown to check out another. A minute passed. It hit another car, which in turn was struck in the rear by a minivan. Phillss former teammates Todd Fuller, Chucky Brown, and David Wesley attended the ceremony. The NBAs board of governors unanimously approved the request, giving the new Hornets an occasion to once again honor Phills by hanging his jersey in Charlotte, which they did duringhalftime of a game last November. In October, Hornets guard Eldridge Recasner suffered a broken shoulder and a collapsed lung and teammate Derrick Coleman was charged with drunken driving in a traffic accident. "Not only was Bobby a The other kids are crying. He played college basketball for the Yale Bulldogs and now plays for the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League.
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