Then a few more. I think it changes as Im coming up to it. zone on Main Street in Pineville, N.C. Court records show he paid a $25 fine and $86 in court costs. 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. Through Sunday, every N.B.A. "He was a very in-depth person and just a treasure to be around," he said. Phills was killed in a car accident on . Charlotte Hornet guard Bobby Phills was killed Wednesday when he crashed into a car while speeding after practice, police said. He was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha. 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. It hit another car, which in turn was struck in the rear by a minivan. The black car carried a vanity plate that read SLAMN. That was his dream car, recalled Phillss younger brother Dwayne. "He had the brain power, he had the great Its kind of like me and my dad we spent a bunch of time on the court. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. "He had extreme high character. He gets deflections. The Hornets' game scheduled for last night against the Chicago Bulls was postponed as shock was felt around the N.B.A. He touched all of our lives, said Bob Bass, the Hornets executive vice president of basketball operations. A female passenger was hurt in that collision with a tractor-trailer. I dont know his face. Wesley was later convicted of reckless driving for his part in the incident. His community. Coach Paul Silas of the Hornets and team members gathered around the scene of the accident as the police used yellow tape to cordon off the area. 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.. Someone reminded him they still werent certain that Phills hadnt survived; he could just be unconscious. I dont think you can get out of that date that your maker has ordained for you., Derrick Brewer could see that the 11-year-old was not ready to star on his AAU team. Of course, when I found out who it was, I started doubting myself, Woolard said. Wesley's car wasn't involved in the accident, and he was questioned at the scene. Former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth was charged with killing his girlfriend in November and could be sentenced to die if convicted of murder and conspiracy charges. ET,Phills' family and friends looked back on the tragedy while updating their family life more than a decade-and-a-half later. 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. 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. Phills Sr. had visited Bobby in Charlotte that Christmas, just a couple of weeks before the accident. Now here comes the agents, and they were pushing him and pushing him, Jobe recalled. The advice meant a lot to Miller, who looked up to Phills and Wesley, players who hadnt been first-round darlings but who had managed to thrive in the league. Davis also incorporated lessons from Phills over his 13 seasons in the NBA. His Porsche veered into oncoming traffic and. The speed limit where Phills From the darkened arena, one active Hornets player had returned early from halftime to watch the ceremony. I know people dont think it, but its easy because its just you and the basket. Jobe sat Phills down. Trey and Silas put in hard hours working to improve Treys shot. We just lost and hes ready to go to swimming. "[6] Wesley was later convicted of reckless driving after being cleared of a racing charge. It was just a typical day. I dont care if he never makes a basket, Jobe said of Trey. Phills' death was another in a series of shocks to hit North Carolina sports in recent months. Dont bother this boy. Shinn was sued by a woman who claimed he sexually assaulted her. Occasionally every child dreams about crea, Joe Fraziers Daughter, Jacqui Frazier Lyde, Challenges Muhammad Alis Daughter, Laila, To A Boxing Match, Earth, Wind & Fire makes mark on Rock Walk Entertainment music group inducted to RockWalk of Fame in Los Angeles, Former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Louis Sullivan has helped launch an organization to focus on increasing the number of Black doctors and nurses, Judge Glenda Hatchett Gives Tv Viewers A `Wake-Up Call judge on television series Judge Hatchett, General Motors CEO resigns from country club that rejected black GM executive Jack Smith, Roy Roberts, Career Of Famed Dancing Duo, The Nicholas Brothers, Is Highlighted In New Book. Soon, David Jovanovic, the Charlotte Hornets equipment manager, placed Bobby Phillss jersey in the bronze casket. His book, Boys Among Men: How the Prep-to-Pro Generation Redefined the NBA and Sparked a Basketball Revolution, is due out in March. Hes calling his wife to meet us. I can't tell you what he meant to the Cavs. It also altered the lives of many others stillaffected by thetragedyyears later. Honestly, I dont know what happened after that. Phills had arrived at Southerns laboratory high school after his father became dean of the universitys school of agriculture andconsumer sciences. Phills Sr. believes he could have easily hit his head on the deck. Coach, we just cant deal with that, he said. He got into a car with the Hornets coaching staff and made the short drive to Tyvola. He came into his own when he got here to Charlotte. "He was a very in-depth person and just a treasure to be around," Moser said. He was our guy, and he was going to a better place.. There was the time he jumped out of his car at an intersection to help a motorcyclist who was engulfed in flames after crashing into a nearby truck. I had no idea what happened, but as I looked in my rearview, his car was spinning, went into the oncoming traffic, hit a car, he said. Michael Jordan called Phills the toughest defender he ever faced. Gerald Henderson was drafted by Charlotte in 2009, and over his fiveNBA seasons, hed grown close to the Phills family. 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. Blydenburgh, the police crash investigator, said Oh, he was such an angel, blah, blah, blah. Its hard to believe. The game was postponed. If you had a son, Wallace said, you would want him to grow up to be like Bobby Phills., Wallace decided to stop coaching not long after Phillss death. Phills' No. "This young man represented the very best of Southern As time passes, it doesnt stay every day, but it does stay frequently, and there are always good memories., Kendall decided to remain in Charlotte after Phillss death. when he lost control of his black Porsche. She exited her car to see Bobbys teammates Elden Campbell and Anthony Mason, both in tears. I was devastated.. That season, he scored 52 points against Alcorn State, hitting 10 3s in a game attended by several NBA scouts. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. For a long time, I couldnt think of a time when I wasnt thinking about him, Wesley said. in a straight line," he said. charities and related organizations. 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 had all the things that you want in a human being. While there, Phills Sr. had slipped off a deck and fallen into a lake near Bobbys home. Florida A&M University. Two days later, Jordan went 9-for-26 against Phills. She got in her car. The important thing is for him to go there and graduate and do the things that his daddy did not do.. In many cases, thats all they had the intellect to do. I just remember guys crying, said Stephen Silas, who worked as a scout on his fathers staff. I wanted him to be there representing us. human being," said Southern University Chancellor Edward R. 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. In 1998, he was one of four finalists for the N.B.A. We never talked about it. That was the one car he had always wanted. Phills encountered teammate David Wesley, also driving a Porsche, less than a mile from the Charlotte Coliseum. 13 remains the only number to be retired by the team. Two days later, members of the Hornets and Knicks attended Phillss memorial service. He thought it was his fault that it happened. Silas told Wesley that the team couldnt function if Wesley didnt play his best, and eventually the players game returned to form. I knew that he had passed away, Silas said. In May, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Steve Chiasson was killed after he lost control of his pickup truck in Raleigh. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. on a street where the speed limit was 45. In 1998, he was one of four finalists for the NBA's sportsmanship award and started the "Bobby Phills Educational Foundation.". The next month, Wesley was charged with two misdemeanors: speed competition and reckless driving. ", NBA commissioner David Stern said Phills was "a caring member of the community.". "He just left, and I didn't hug him, I didn't tell him that I loved him. Its shocking.. The other driver was slumped, unmoving, blood trickling from his nose. . What else do you need? Kendall walked onto the court, accompanied by Trey, Kerstie, and Brittany Dixon (Bobbys daughter from a different relationship). Woolard loved cars all types and he noticed a black Porsche on Tyvola. He meant a lot to this city, Jordan said at a press conference before the ceremony. Because I have to be strong for my children. To be the family man he was; to be active with the community the way he was; to be recognized by your . Phills was killed instantly. So I pleaded with the guy, 'Look I have to say my final goodbye.' She never really considered returning to Louisiana. On February 9, 2000, in a game against Phills' former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Hornets retired his number 13 . 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. Wesley testified that Phills, 30, was behind him when in hisrearview mirror he saw his car swerve and collide with anothervehicle. 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. Woolard and Agbegbon were listed in stable condition at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte. Thursday, January 13, 2000; Page D01 I wanted him to be as idealistic as I thought I was.. family background. His teammate Derrick Coleman, driving the sport utility vehicle in which Recasner was a passenger, was arrested on a drunken driving charge. If there's a person you would want your children to be, a role model, it's Bobby Phills. Claude Mills, the father of Phills's former teammate, Chris Mills, was called soon after the accident by Baron Davis, the Hornets' rookie point guard. The day is going pretty decently, Robert Woolard Jr. thought. Phills died while traveling on Tyvola Road in Charlotte, North Carolina, after driving at a high rate of speed with then-teammate David Wesley. 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. Hes got a great sense of the game, understanding his athleticism as well, and his poise on the floor, said Yale coach James Jones. From people that Ive talked to, they say it doesnt go away. Kendall needed to get to Tyvola. Or the times Phills had called him a high school coach for advice on how to guard Michael Jordan. Phills and his wife have two children -- Bobby Ray III, 3, and Kerstie, 1. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. 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. Witnesses said teammate David Wesley, the Hornets' starting point guard, also may have been driving too fast in his own Porsche, according to police. Ill go through the photo albums. Jan. 12 will mark 17 years since the death of former NBA guard Bobby Phills, who was killed in a three-car accident after losing control of his vehicle and crashing into oncoming traffic. County court records. He joined the team in 1997 after six years with Cleveland. 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. One of the most active Hornets players in the community, Phills was a tireless volunteer for childrens charities and related organizations. Jobe told Phills to shoot alone. But I needed them because of their academic abilities, so when the dean asks about the academic average of the team, Im going to be way up there. Phills surprised Jobe by approaching the coach after his freshman season in 1987-88 and declaring that he wanted to earn a spot in the rotation. L. E. Blydenburgh, the crash investigator, told The Associated Press. A minivan rear-ended the other car, police said. He slid into oncoming traffic and was killed instantly.. defensive-driving course six days after he was charged, according Afterward, the team chartered to Charlotte before flying to Baton Rouge for Phillss funeral. And as if the . Former Carolina Panthers receiver Rae Carruth was charged with killing his girlfriend in November and could be sentenced to die if convicted of murder and conspiracy charges. Wallace believed Phills had the talent to play in the NBA, but only if his career broke the right way. Anthony Mason was just like, Man, whyd it have to be him?. Basically, as soon as I got [to summer league], [Phills] threw me his practice stuff, Davis recalled. Some were pushy, and I didnt talk with them. He ran basketball clinics and contributed to Charlotte-area charities. Phills is survived by his wife, Kendall, and two children, Bobby Ray III, 3, and Kerstie, 1. An autopsy on Phills was to be performed at the medical examiner's office. Bobby Phills SOURCE: Pinterest He averaged 26 points and 13 rebounds his senior year and helped the team to a state championship. 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. "Tyvola Road was a road you would take to watch the 25,000 people crowded into that little coliseum to cheer on the Hornets. tremendous person, but a great husband, father and role model that He was a loving father and husband, Davis said of Phills. CHARLOTTE, Feb. 9 -- The Hornets retired Bobby Phills' No. She called him a short time later, wondering if she should make pancakes at home or if she should meet him out. [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. Continue with Recommended Cookies, Charlotte Hornets Bobby Phills Killed In Car Crash Brief Article Obituary. [4] In 1996, Michael Jordan remarked that Phills was the toughest defender he had ever faced. She pulled in behind George Shinns car. Bobby Phills, the Charlotte Hornets guard who parlayed a 10-day contract into a nine-year National Basketball Association career and who was once called by Michael Jordan the toughest defender. player to be killed in an accident. That thing with Bobby Phills, Im telling you, it almost made me lose my faith. The two other drivers were hospitalized and listed in stable condition. After learning that his wife was pregnant, hed bought the new car in preparation for the arrival of their child. He was 30. He wont let them.. Develop a romance with the ball. And as the captain of the Charlotte Hornets, the 6-foot-5-inch guard was a talented, highly-regarded basketball player. 1:09. The Nets' Drazen Petrovic died in 1993 and Terry Furlow of the Jazz in 1980, both in car crashes, and the Pistons' Nick Vanos was killed in a plane crash in 1987. 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. ''The skid marks indicate he was not going in a straight line,'' he said. Trey Phills said. Bobby Ray Phills III, nicknamed Trey, is in his sophomore season playing guard at Yale. And I didnt [do anything wrong]. That day, he was riding behind teammate David Wesley at over 160 km/h. Miller went undrafted out of Purdue and played briefly in Italy before latching on with Charlotte. Phills attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Treys a stat stuffer, said coach Shonn Brown. That memory always is there with me, Davis said. It is so sad to hear of Bobby Phills' accident. When something like that happens, you blame everybody. "SLAMN," left skid marks several hundred feet long and came to That didnt impress me at all, Jobe recalled. With a July birthday, Trey had always been among the youngest in his class, so Kendall decided to have him complete the eighth grade twice. 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. A minivan rear-ended the other car, police said. Wallace mandated that all of his players learn to play in the post. The day of the accident, Miller had returned to the Hornets practice facility after shootaround to lift weights. Anyone can read what you share. Friday, Trey. That moment that mistake ended Phillss life at 30 years old. He chose Yale, where he will begin his freshman year in the fall. Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Steve Chiasson died in May when his pickup truck crashed outside Raleigh. Bobby, he was a fast driver, Paul Silas recalled. Those close to Phills never seem to run out of stories about his selflessness. Phills was killed instantly Wednesday morning when he lost control of his speeding Porsche and it crashed head-on into another vehicle. He heard the news about 10 minutes into his workout. The top 3-point shooter in the nation his senior year at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Phills graduated with a degree in animal science. He saw Phillss mouth hanging open, and eyes closed. Those guys were Bobby Phills and Muggsy Bogues, he said. The family referred to Bobby Phills as Rob. 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. He was in his third year of a seven-year, $33 million contract. Phills' jersey was originally raised at the Charlotte Coliseum on Feb. 9, 2000, following his death in an automobile accident. I said, Bobby, I dont understand this. But he was proud.. Phills's wife, Kendall, and their son, Bobby Ray Phills III, 3, and daughter, Kerstie, 1, arrived soon after the accident. After the New Orleans team re-branded themselves as the New Orleans Pelicans - thereby relinquishing the Hornets name and their previous history in Charlotte - the Bobcats became the Hornets and merged the team's past tenures into a new history for the franchise. For years, I tried to get him to go on to med school like he talked about when he was a kid.". 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. David Stern, the N.B.A. If it hadnt been for Donnie, I wouldnt be doing what Im doing now, Jobe said. In October 1997, he was charged with driving Ill watch some videotape of Bobby. 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. Start working. Phills made the rookies pay their dues, but along with tough love he dispersed nuggets of wisdom that would help them blossom into NBA starters. She had this fantastic crush on Bobby, Wallace recalled. Maybe he didnt say that, Shinn thought, trying to rationalize what hed heard. I went up in my room and cried for an hour, Bulls guard Fred Hoiberg, who was in Charlotte for the Bulls-Hornets game, said about the news of the accident to the SunTimes. "Bobby Phills passed away a winner, he stands on the court of champions." He was someone that you would want your children to be like.. Several hundred feet of skid marks, estimated by witnesses to be about 150 yards, were made by Phills's vehicle. He was lucky to have survived. Five months after Charlotte Hornets guard Bobby Phills died in a crash while drag racing with teammate David. You need to let me coach him, Brewer said. 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. So many people pointed the finger at David, but Bobby made the choice to drive at a high rate of speed, Kendall said. The Associated Press The police examining the black Porsche driven by Bobby Phills in his fatal car crash Wednesday. Even as he made the short trek to the scene, Shinn kept thinking, Maybe I heard him wrong. Every day, every night, he told reporters. prayers are with his wife, Kendall, children and family," Hornets L.E. as spontaneous speed competition," Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Police said he was driving drunk. The Hornets retired Bobby Phills' No. It wasnt going to be here. Drafted in the second round in 1991 by the Milwaukee Bucks, he was cut from the team that December, played in the Continental Basketball Association, then was signed by the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 10-day contract on March 19, 1992. The Hornets returned to the court January 15, three days after Phillss death, with a loss to the Knicks in New York. posted speed was 45 mph. ''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. 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. 13 was used when the franchise was branded the Bobcats, the team re-retired Phills' number after rebranding back to the Hornets name in 2014-15. He has assists. This season, as a senior, Trey led Charlotte Christian to a 20-9 record, the highlight of which was a breathtaking game winner Trey scored against Charlotte Country Day. For his role in the accident, David Wesley was charged and convicted of reckless driving. Phills's death was another in a series of shocks to hit North Carolina sports in recent months. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. 13 in 2000. We come down to the front of the arena, out to the light, and Im calling my wife to meet at the Pancake House. I blamed everybody. 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 199192 season. "The firemen wouldn't let me go near his body. everyone respected and admired. Bobby and Kendall Phills had two children, both of whom went on to play college basketball.