''I told him we would release him if we wanted, because we already had 13 or 14 guaranteed deals and his chances of making it were slim,'' Fratello said. On February 9, 2000, in a game against Phills' former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Hornets retired his number 13 . Like a funeral, Shinn said. Who knows what happened? Bobby Phills was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on December 20, 1969. all-defensive team after the 1995-96 season, the same season in which Jordan paid him the ultimate compliment by calling him the toughest defender he had faced. The new coach was close with Phills, whom Charlotte had signed to a seven-year, $33 million contract in 1997. Silas spent the morning shootaround showing his team film of the Bucks blowout. Because I have to be strong for my children. He should be upset right now. [5], Phills was survived by his parents, his wife Kendall, and three children; a daughter Brittany Dickson, a son Bobby Ray Phills III, known as Trey and a daughter Kerstie. The Hornets retired Bobby Phills' No. Coach, we just cant deal with that, he said. "I remember just asking myself and asking my mom, 'Why would God let this happen to our family?" Anyone can read what you share. Jobe lost his love for coaching after Phills died. "He had extreme high character. "He could have been one of the foremost black leaders in the Two days later, members of the Hornets and Knicks attended Phillss memorial service. At present, Bobby Phills is estimated to have left behind $15 million net worth as per the sources. was in the third year of a seven-year, $33 million contract. All rights reserved. Phillss former teammates Todd Fuller, Chucky Brown, and David Wesley attended the ceremony. Ill watch some videotape of Bobby. "We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of this outstanding At the end of last season, Phills was averaging 10.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists a game for his career. Phills' death was another in a series of shocks to hit North Carolina sports in recent months. When something like that happens, you blame everybody. He was fourth on the team in scoring this season with 13.6 points per game. That day, he was riding behind teammate David Wesley at over 160 km/h. Absolutely not, Wesley responded. Additionally, his career earnings are exposed to be $40,545,600. Phills was killed instantly, and two people in vehicles involved in an accident were hospitalized. The Charlotte Hornets announced today that the team will honor the late Bobby Phills and re-hang his retired No. David Stern, the N.B.A. That's 107 m.p.h. The black car carried a vanity plate that read SLAMN. That was his dream car, recalled Phillss younger brother Dwayne. [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. University. Shinn was sued by a woman who claimed he sexually assaulted her. It was so terrible, and its something Ill never, ever forget.. He had to tighten his elbow, the same way his father had learned to shoot under Ben Jobe at Southern decades earlier. We spent some long, long days, and I got some dirty looks [from Trey] sometimes, but we got it fixed, Silas said. The Milwaukee Bucks had pummeled Charlotte by 50 points two days earlier. 13 jersey during halftime of Wednesday night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Charlotte Coliseum. In May, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Steve Chiasson was killed after he lost control of his pickup truck in Raleigh. [They discussed a] lot of little things that when youre a youngster coming into the league, you dont think about, Miller said. He was in his third year of a seven-year, $33 million contract. Young people changed. A few days after being charged, Wesley made his first public statement about the incident. Bobby Ray Phills II (December 20, 1969 January 12, 2000) was an American professional basketball player. crash investigation, probably sometime next week. Phills said he had about six. Wesley was later convicted of reckless driving for his part in the incident. Phills, 30, was traveling at a "very high rate of speed" when he collided with a car headed toward the coliseum, police spokesman Keith Bridges said. 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. "This is the ultimate tragedy, and our immediate thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Kendall, children and family," Hornets owner George Shinn said in a statement. Athleticism. Treys not ready yet. Kendall did decide to let Brewer coach Bobby Phills III, known as Trey to his teammates. Im on my way there now, and its really bad. Dwayne decided not to say anything to his mother until he knew more. Woolard loved cars all types and he noticed a black Porsche on Tyvola. Firefighters had to cut his body from the wreckage. Phills lost control of his Porsche on a hilly curve where the And thats what happened. Phills, active in the community, volunteered for children's charities and related organizations. He reached for a towel and used it to blindfold Phills. It always seems like something happens to those types of guys, said Chucky Brown, who had played with Phills on the Hornets. Kerstie Phills is in her freshman season at Wagner College, where she also plays guard. Those close to Phills never seem to run out of stories about his selflessness. The two other drivers were hospitalized and listed in stable condition. Through Sunday, every N.B.A. And I let him know I was going to take care of his kids.". Bobby Phills had always wanted to be an All-Star, she said. She walked off the court with a piece of herself still forever gone, but knowing that her husband had not been forgotten. The Hornets had come together and shown admirable resilience after Phillss death, but by the time the postseason arrived, they were ready to fold. Bobby Ray Phills III, nicknamed Trey, is in his sophomore season playing guard at Yale. 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. That memory always is there with me, Davis said. 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 Charlotte Observer reported that both Phills and Wesley had previous speed violations. The family referred to Bobby Phills as Rob. She called him a short time later, wondering if she should make pancakes at home or if she should meet him out. You cant drive that fast. Phills, Silas said, told him it was not a big deal. Hugh Wallace considered Phillss competitiveness one of the players greatest strengths. The following season, on the morning of Phillss death, Silas fumed at his team. At one point, Woolard looked out his window and noticed only long legs. Bobby Ray Phills II was born on Dec. 20, 1969, in Baton Rouge, La. Bobby Phills died in a car crash after leaving a Hornets practice in January 2000 when Trey was 3 years old. Jobe had little doubt that once Phills earned an opportunity in the NBA, he would thrive. ", Active in the community, Phills volunteered for children's charities and related organizations. Tests showed he was legally drunk. The Hornets brought the franchises history with the team to Phillss native Louisiana, where he never played professionally. In 1998, he was one of four Wesley's car wasn't involved in the accident, and he was questioned at the scene. 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. Paul Silas had nearly given up the dream of securing another NBA head coaching gig. Phills Sr. believes he could have easily hit his head on the deck. He was the franchises future a brash, bowling-ball point guard who expected immediate NBA stardom. I said, Bobby, I dont understand this. But he was proud.. While a member of the Charlotte Hornets, Bobby Phills died in a car accident in Charlotte, North Carolina, on 12th January 2000. His book, Boys Among Men: How the Prep-to-Pro Generation Redefined the NBA and Sparked a Basketball Revolution, is due out in March. The Hornets will re-retire the jersey of Bobby Phills, who died in a car accident on January 12, 2000 at 30 years old, on November 1 during halftime of their game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Kendall called Dwayne Phills, who was with his mother, Mary, in Baton Rouge. Coach, Wesley said. NBA After the Crash Friends, teammates, and family remember the career, legacy, and tragic death of former Charlotte Hornets guard Bobby Phills by Jonathan Abrams on March 31, 2015 T he boy needed a nudge from his mother. A taxi minivan then rear-ended Woolards Oldsmobile. Bobby came back the next day and said: 'I want to stay here, Coach. Bobby and Kendall Phills had two children, both of whom went on to play college basketball. Phills's wife, Kendall, and their son, Bobby Ray Phills III, 3, and daughter, Kerstie, 1, arrived soon after the accident. His father, Dr. Bobby Phills, is dean of agriculture and home economics at Florida A&M University. When he died, Brad Miller and Baron Davis were both beginning their NBA careers, but in opposite ways. He had everything. Charlotte Hornet guard Bobby Phills was killed Wednesday when he crashed into a car while speeding after practice, police said. guard or small forward for the Hornets, and sometimes played as a finalists for the NBA's Sportsmanship Award and started the "Bobby Just silence. Witnesses said teammate David Wesley, the Hornets' starting point guard, also may have been driving too fast in his own Porsche, according to police. When the Hornets moved to New Orleans, his retired jersey went. Phills and his wife have two children -- Bobby Ray III, 3, and Kerstie, 1. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The Hornets returned to the court January 15, three days after Phillss death, with a loss to the Knicks in New York. The day is going pretty decently, Robert Woolard Jr. thought. He had only recently purchased the Oldsmobile Cutlass he was driving when he turned onto Tyvola. Coleman was arrested on a drunken driving charge. The 30-year-old guard had just left a shootaround at Charlotte Coliseum at about 11 a.m. when the three-vehicle accident happened, club spokesman Jonathan Supranowitz said. The two formed a fast friendship. Its shocking.. Tell everybody where Daddy is, Kendall Phills instructed her 3-year-old son. The important thing is for him to go there and graduate and do the things that his daddy did not do.. On November 1, 2014, the newly renamed team re-honored his jersey; it currently hangs from the rafters of the Spectrum Center.[9][10]. He was exceptionally strong, and while coaches and general managers debated whether he was a shooting guard or a small forward, Phills merely transformed himself into one of the game's most menacing defenders. 13 was where it belonged. To be the family man he was; to be active with the community the way he was; to be recognized by your . When Wallace learned of Phillss death, he thought back on their good times together. Hes got a great sense of the game, understanding his athleticism as well, and his poise on the floor, said Yale coach James Jones. He also started the Bobby Phills Educational Foundation, holding camps in Baton Rouge each summer for children who were taught how to balance education with athletics. Wesley, the Hornets' starting point guard, has refused to talk to police, 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. 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 . zone on Main Street in Pineville, N.C. Court records show he paid a $25 fine and $86 in court costs. the accident scene. 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. In that time, the Charlotte Hornets, the team for whom the former Southern and . ET,Phills' family and friends looked back on the tragedy while updating their family life more than a decade-and-a-half later. A few minutes later, according to Silas, the coach received a call from David Wesley. After the team's morning session, Phills and David Wesley decided to race home from the Hornets' facility. And there was a point where, no, I wasnt that good on the court., Stephen Silas ended up being the one to help Trey develop his confidence and his game. But Bobby Phills was driving too fast, and so was David Wesley, and Phills' car crashed, and he died instantly. Youve got a great wife. Ive got some bad news, Dwayne told his father. He advised Phills to pursue professional basketball for a couple of years, and if it didnt work out, to return to school. Claude Mills, the father of Phills's former teammate, Chris Mills, was. He touched all of our lives, said Bob Bass, the Hornets executive vice president of basketball operations. 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. [7], The Hornets retired Phills' #13 jersey on February 9, 2000, during halftime of a game vs. Phills' former team, the Cavaliers. Davis was in his own car when the crash occurred. ''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. 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.. Trey loved the game, but his mother could see him struggling with his confidence. The owner is out here, she said to herself. The three-vehicle crash is under investigation by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, which is looking into whether Phills and his best friend on the Hornets, David Wesley, the team's starting point guard, had been racing along a stretch near the arena. Wesley's car was not involved in the accident, and he was questioned for a few minutes at the scene. Woolard, an insurance adjuster and appraiser and native North Carolinian, had just finished inspecting one vehicle and was headed uptown to check out another. He was our guy, and he was going to a better place.. ''I figured we'd give him a shot to catch on with another team. Jobe asked how many points Phills had scored. Bridges said it will be at least several days before investigators reconstruct what happened. player to be killed in an accident. One of the most active Hornets players in the community, Phills was a tireless volunteer for childrens charities and related organizations. Miller went undrafted out of Purdue and played briefly in Italy before latching on with Charlotte. Honestly, I dont know what happened after that. "Not only was Bobby a tremendous person, but a great husband, father and role model that everyone respected and admired. Phills is survived by his wife, Kendall, and two children, Bobby Ray III, 3, and Kerstie, 1. Wednesday, February 2nd 2000, 12:00 am. He was not only a world class athlete, but also a world And whenever he didnt win he talked enough trash to make you think he won.
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