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. His Hornets teammates. Like when Phills and his high school teammates had lifted and moved Wallaces car after a game Wallace suspected a rival team had stolen the vehicle, before realizing his players had pranked him. Woolard loved cars all types and he noticed a black Porsche on Tyvola. Its kind of like me and my dad we spent a bunch of time on the court. The Hornets retired Bobby Phills' No. But him and David Wesley, they were driving at each other, just zooming, Silas said. successfully completed the National Safety Council's Coach, we just cant deal with that, he said. 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. He was going 107 m.p.h. Wednesday, February 2nd 2000, 12:00 am. He heard the news about 10 minutes into his workout. His wife. And I didnt [do anything wrong]. Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter. as spontaneous speed competition," Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Bobby Phills was everybodys son, Ben Jobe, Phillss coach at Southern University and A&M College, said recently. Thats the Bobby I know.. ", Active in the community, Phills volunteered for children's charities and related organizations. He said any charges must await completion of the Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Steve Chiasson died in May when his pickup truck crashed outside Raleigh. 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. It was a chaotic few weeks. The Hornets' game scheduled for last night against the Chicago Bulls was postponed as shock was felt around the N.B.A. Im trying to keep the flesh lovers away from him. I can't tell you what he meant to the Cavs. She thanked the fans for the phone calls and well-wishes. He averaged 26 points and 13 rebounds his senior year and helped the team to a state championship. She pulled in behind George Shinns car. Not quite. [5] A police report said Phills and Wesley were driving "in an erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner. I wanted him to be there representing us. In May, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Steve Chiasson was killed after he lost control of his pickup truck in Raleigh. Tell everybody where Daddy is, Kendall Phills instructed her 3-year-old son. 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 . And as if the axle of a wheel suddenly gave way, everyone connected to Bobby Phills fell apart. On that day more than 15 years ago, the NBA grieved over the death of Bobby Phills, who began his career on a 10-day contract and rose so highthat Michael Jordan once named him among the best defenders hed ever faced. Its shocking.. The Hornets' guard lost control of his 1997 Porsche 993 Cabriolet and collided head-on with a vehicle heading towards him. charities and related organizations. Phills agreed, and a couple weeks later, he approached the coach. The vehicle skidded several hundred feet and into oncoming traffic, where it collided head-on with another car. 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. He meant a lot to the community. wrecked is 45 mph. At 6' 5" and 220 pounds,[3] he was said to more resemble an NFL linebacker than a basketball player. He was convicted of reckless driving and sentenced to community service, but a judge decided that enough reasonable doubt existed to acquit him of the racing charge. [They discussed a] lot of little things that when youre a youngster coming into the league, you dont think about, Miller said. I can't tell you what he meant to the Cavs. That boy he was speeding with, I dont know what I would have done if I would have seen him. Five months after Charlotte Hornets guard Bobby Phills died in a crash while drag racing with teammate David. "Tell everybody where Daddy is," Kendall Phills instructed her 3-year-old son. Bobby Phills, a guard with the NBA's Charlotte Hornets, was killed Wednesday in a car accident following a team practice. him away from the NBA. Phills is survived by his wife, Kendall, and two children, Bobby Ray III, 3, and Kerstie, 1. But those were two guys I fell in love with.. Phills died while traveling on Tyvola Road in Charlotte, North Carolina, after driving at a high rate of speed with then-teammate David Wesley. 13 jersey raised again in Charlotte", "Charlotte Hornets re-hang Bobby Phills' jersey Saturday night", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bobby_Phills&oldid=1124254394, American expatriate basketball people in Spain, Basketball players from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, National Basketball Association players with retired numbers, 20th-century African-American sportspeople, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 November 2022, at 01:52. This was the second fatal traffic accident in the past nine months involving a professional athlete from North Carolina, and the second serious traffic accident this season involving Hornets players. After starting her college career at Wagner, Kerstie transferred and is currently a redshirt sophomore for Florida Gulf Coast University. In December 1998, Wesley was charged with driving 79 mph in a 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. Manage Settings CHARLOTTE - Charlotte Hornets guard Bobby Phills was speeding in his Porsche after practice Wednesday when he lost control, crashed into a car and died instantly. I know why you wanted me to do this by myself and you didnt want anyone throwing the ball back to me, Phills said. A family man. Absolutely not, Wesley responded. Cavaliers president Wayne Embry gave Phills his start in the NBA Phills's car, with the vanity plate "SLAMN," left skid marks several hundred feet long and came to rest in one of the opposite lanes, Bridges said. Continue with Recommended Cookies, Charlotte Hornets Bobby Phills Killed In Car Crash Brief Article Obituary. Often, he would volunteer for children's charities and related organizations. In February, Phills was charged with driving 60 mph in a 35-mph When a salary dispute led to Cowenss sudden resignation in 1999, Silas inherited the top job. Youve got two beautiful kids. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Some of the coaches tried to restrain her. He was in his third year of a seven-year, $33 million contract. She just completed her junior season and is being pursued by several top colleges. Phills, a 6-foot-5 defensive stopper, started often at shooting And as if the . . Some were nice and tactful. That memory always is there with me, Davis said. One of the most active Hornets players in the community, Phills was a tireless volunteer for childrens charities and related organizations. Woolard laid his head down before hearing a voice. It always seems like something happens to those types of guys, said Chucky Brown, who had played with Phills on the Hornets. Bobby Ray Phills II (December 20, 1969 January 12, 2000) was an American professional basketball player. Bobby Phills of the Charlotte Hornets was killed recently in a car crash shortly after a morning practice at the teams arena. We spent some long, long days, and I got some dirty looks [from Trey] sometimes, but we got it fixed, Silas said. everyone respected and admired. Every city the Hornets played in meant Wesley would be asked to recount the tragedy for another local newspapers story about how Wesley and the team were coping with Phillss death. On November 1, 2014, the newly renamed team re-honored his jersey; it currently hangs from the rafters of the Spectrum Center.[9][10]. Because youve been putting on your socks and shoes since you were 6 or 7 years old. It took firefighters more than two hours to pry Phills's body from the 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 he had ever faced, was killed instantly yesterday when the speeding Porsche he was driving spun out of control and collided with another vehicle moments after he left a morning practice. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. 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. Treys not ready yet. Kendall did decide to let Brewer coach Bobby Phills III, known as Trey to his teammates. Heck, I got angry. 60 mph in a 45-mph zone. Over his nine-year career, he averaged 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. Everything hurt. He still has foggy memories of his father tossing him in the air. The other driver was slumped, unmoving, blood trickling from his nose. Phills' No. He had it all.. Were you racing Bobby Phills that day? his attorney asked. Shooting is the easiest of the skills. "The skid marks indicate he was not going in a straight line," he said. But once Wesley had spoken about the crash, reporters kept asking him to relive the worst morning of his life. Kendall called Dwayne Phills, who was with his mother, Mary, in Baton Rouge. In New Orleans, the organization raised his no. And thats what happened. "That morning, I didn't get to tell Bobby goodbye,"Kendall Phills, Bobby'swife, said. Phills lost control of his car on a hilly bend. Friday, Trey. Two days later, Jordan went 9-for-26 against Phills. Several hundred feet of skid marks, estimated by witnesses to be about 150 yards, were made by Phills's vehicle. He was my partner in crime, he said. From people that Ive talked to, they say it doesnt go away. family background. Phills' Hornets teammates also wore a patch bearing his' #13 on their jerseys for the remainder of the 19992000 season. Over his nine-year career, he averaged 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. When the Knicks hired Walsh in 2008, Jobe came aboard as a scout, and he remains part of the Knicks organization. Things changed, Jobe said. She walked off the court with a piece of herself still forever gone, but knowing that her husband had not been forgotten. [7], The Hornets retired Phills' #13 jersey on February 9, 2000, during halftime of a game vs. Phills' former team, the Cavaliers. She noticed his demeanor on the court pick up shortly thereafter. Phills earned a bachelor's degree in animal science from Southern University in Baton Rouge, La. 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. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Charlotte Hornets guard Bobby Phills was killed Wednesday when his speeding Porsche collided with a car near the Charlotte Coliseum, where Phills had just finished a game-day practice. [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. "Bobby Phills passed away a winner, he stands on the court of champions." He always had to win. Bridges said. One time after a game, we were driving home. 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. The other kids are crying. Phills died instantly. Both had played in the CBA before earning NBA roster spots, and each carried a chip on his shoulder for being overlooked. Phills, a 6-foot-5 defensive stopper and a team leader, was one of the Hornets top reserves. Ive got some bad news, Dwayne told his father. When he died, Brad Miller and Baron Davis were both beginning their NBA careers, but in opposite ways. Phills was killed in a car accident on . If there's a person you would want to your children to be, a role model, it's Bobby Phills. "He had the brain power, he had the great family background. He slid into oncoming traffic and was killed instantly.. He reached for a towel and used it to blindfold Phills. Amanda O'Hara sits down to talk one-on-one with former Charlotte Hornets' player, Bobby Phills' widow Kendall Phills. L.E. Once, Jobe walked into the gym to find Phillss younger brother rebounding for him. The two formed a fast friendship. He saw Phillss mouth hanging open, and eyes closed. And whenever he didnt win he talked enough trash to make you think he won. "The firemen wouldn't let me go near his body. Trey and Silas put in hard hours working to improve Treys shot. Princeton, Stanford, Harvard, and other elite colleges recruited him. Wesley's car was not involved in the accident, and he was questioned for a few minutes at the scene. Of course, when I found out who it was, I started doubting myself, Woolard said. The two lived close to one another, and after games, Phillss wife, Kendall, often drove Silass wife, Carolyn, home from the Charlotte Coliseum. In that series, Silas sensed that his players had nothing left to give. Through Sunday, every N.B.A. ''I figured we'd give him a shot to catch on with another team. to go on to med school like he talked about when he was a kid.". [1] He was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1991 NBA draft (45th overall). Woolards car then was rear-ended by a minivan taxi driven by Yao Agbegbon, 33. 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. Phills attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. 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 Phills spoke with his coach, Paul Silas, before sliding behind the wheel of his 1997 Porsche 993 Cabriolet. [Those] were a couple of things that sparked our attention. Meanwhile, younger sister Kerstie is on the same track. I was up the street a good ways, and [when I got back] he was no longer with us., Phills and Wesley had both signed lengthy contracts with the Hornets in the summer of 1997. At the time of Phillss accident, Wesley was driving on a suspended license, after he had failed to comply with the terms of a citation he had received several months earlier in Alabama. Anyone would want a kid like that on their team. Charlotte finished the season with a 49-33 record, but lost to Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs. Charlotte Hornets guard Bobby Phills was speeding in his Porsche after practice Wednesday when he lost control, crashed into a car and died instantly. 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.

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