Bubba Wells

Last updated
Bubba Wells
SIU Edwardsville Cougars
PositionAssistant coach
League Ohio Valley Conference
Personal information
Born (1974-07-26) July 26, 1974 (age 49)
Russellville, Kentucky
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High schoolRussellville
(Russellville, Kentucky)
College Austin Peay (1993–1997)
NBA draft 1997: 2nd round, 34th overall pick
Selected by the Dallas Mavericks
Playing career1997–2005
Position Small forward
Number35
Coaching career2005–present
Career history
As player:
1997–1998 Dallas Mavericks
1998–1999 La Crosse Bobcats
2000–2001 Memphis Houn'Dawgs
2001–2002 Dafni
2002–2004 Barangay Ginebra Kings
2004–2005 Harlem Globetrotters
As coach:
2005–2015 Austin Peay (assistant)
2015–2022 SIU Edwardsville (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at NBA.com
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at Basketball-Reference.com

Charles Richard "Bubba" Wells Jr. (born July 26, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former player. He played college basketball for Austin Peay State University and later professionally, including for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA and Dafni in the Greek Basket League.

Contents

College career

Wells played collegiately for Austin Peay State University and was named 1997 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year. [1] In his junior season, he averaged 26.3 points per game. He upped those averages during his senior year when he averaged 31.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.. In his four-year college career, Wells averaged 21.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest. [2] He left the school as its all-time leading scorer with 2,267 points and is a member of the Athletics Hall of Fame. His No. 13 jersey is retired by the school. [3]

Professional career

Wells was selected 34th by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1997 NBA draft and appeared in 39 games during 1997–98 season, starting two games in March 1998, in place of the injured Cedric Ceballos. His best game came on February 19, 1998, when he had 21 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

On December 29, 1997, in a game against the Chicago Bulls, Wells set the record for the shortest amount of playing time before fouling out in an NBA regular season game. [4] In the game, Mavericks coach Don Nelson employed a tactic to limit the Bulls' offense by inserting Wells into the game with the express purpose of fouling power forward Dennis Rodman, a notoriously poor free throw shooter, away from the ball. The plan failed, however, when Rodman hit 9-of-12 free throws and Chicago went on to win the game 111–105. Wells fouled out late in the third quarter after registering his sixth personal foul in a total of 2 minutes and 43 seconds playing time. [5] This strategy of intentionally fouling a bad free throw shooter is sometimes called Hack-a-Shaq, since it was later famously used against Shaquille O'Neal. The previous record-holder was Dick Farley of the Syracuse Nationals who was disqualified in five minutes on March 12, 1956. [6]

On June 24, 1998, Wells was traded to the Phoenix Suns along with Martin Müürsepp, the draft rights to Pat Garrity, and a future first-round draft pick in exchange for point guard Steve Nash. In January of 1999, Wells, Müürsepp, and Mark Bryant were traded to the Chicago Bulls for Luc Longley. Wells never appeared in a game for Phoenix or Chicago. [7]

He later played for the LaCrosse Bobcats of the CBA, the Oklahoma Storm of USBL, the Memphis Houn'Dawgs of the ABA, Dafni in the Greek Basket League and Barangay Ginebra Kings the Philippine Basketball Association. He played for the Harlem Globetrotters in 2004–05. [1]

Coaching career

From June 2005 through May 2015, Wells was an assistant men's basketball coach at Austin Peay. [1] On May 28, 2015, his appointment to the staff of Jon Harris at SIU Edwardsville was announced. [8]

Personal life

In August 2007, Wells married Tracee Jones, the former head women's basketball coach at Tennessee State University. The previous summer Wells served as a supporter to Jones on NBC TV game show, Deal or No Deal . [1] Wells has a daughter, Alyiah, and a son, Chase. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottie Pippen</span> American basketball player (born 1965)

Scotty Maurice Pippen Sr., usually spelled Scottie Pippen, is an American former professional basketball player. He played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. Considered one of the greatest small forwards of all time, Pippen, along with Michael Jordan, played an important role in transforming the Bulls into a championship team and popularizing the NBA around the world during the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Rodman</span> American basketball player (born 1961)

Dennis Keith Rodman is an American former professional basketball player. Known for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forward in NBA history". Nicknamed "the Worm", he played for the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Rodman played at the small forward position in his early years before becoming a power forward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Miller (basketball)</span> American basketball player

Bradley Alan Miller is an American former professional basketball player. The two-time NBA All-Star played for six National Basketball Association (NBA) teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Davis</span> American basketball player (born 1968)

Antonio Lee Davis is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, and New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also played for Panathinaikos B.C. in Greece and Philips Milano in Italy. Davis is also the former president of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). On October 31, 2012, ESPN announced the hiring of Davis as a studio analyst for NBA broadcasts. He is also currently a co-host/analyst on SiriusXM NBA Radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Müürsepp</span> Estonian basketball player

Martin Müürsepp is an Estonian professional basketball coach and former player, who is the assistant coach of Pärnu Sadam of the Estonian-Latvian Basketball League and the Korvpalli Meistriliiga (KML). Widely regarded as one of Estonia's greatest basketball players of all time, he is the only Estonian to have played in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Terry</span> American basketball player (born 1977)

Jason Eugene Terry is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 19 seasons in the NBA as a combo guard and is nicknamed "the Jet". With the Dallas Mavericks, Terry won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2009 and an NBA championship in 2011. As of January 2023, Terry has made the eighth-most three-point field goals in NBA history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hack-a-Shaq</span> Basketball strategy using intentional fouls

Hack-a-Shaq is a basketball defensive strategy used in the National Basketball Association (NBA) that involves committing intentional fouls for the purpose of lowering opponents' scoring. The strategy was originally adapted by Dallas Mavericks coach Don Nelson, who directed players to commit personal fouls throughout the game against selected opponents who shot free throws poorly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Mahinmi</span> French basketball player (born 1986)

Ian Mahinmi is a French former professional basketball player. At 6'11" and 250 lb, he played the center position and was selected with the 28th overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurt Thomas (basketball)</span> American basketball player (born 1972)

Kurt Vincent Thomas is an American former professional basketball player. A 6'9", 230 lb. power forward-center, Thomas was known for his hard-nosed playing style and tough defense during his eight year tenure with the New York Knicks. Having played college basketball at Texas Christian University, he was drafted by the Miami Heat in 1995 and went on to play parts of 18 seasons in the NBA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Aguirre</span> American basketball player (born 1959)

Mark Anthony Aguirre is an American former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Aguirre was chosen as the first overall pick of the 1981 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks after playing three years at DePaul University. Aguirre played in the NBA from 1981 until 1994 and won two championships with the Detroit Pistons after being traded to Detroit from Dallas in exchange for Adrian Dantley. Aguirre was a three-time All-Star for Dallas. Aguirre was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trenton Hassell</span> American basketball player

Trenton Lavar Hassell is an American former professional basketball forward. A 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), 227 lb (103 kg) guard-forward, Hassell was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 30th overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Williams (basketball)</span> American basketball player (born 1968)

Scott Christopher Williams is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing at 6' 10", he was capable of playing as a power forward or a center. Early in his professional career, Williams earned three NBA Finals rings as he contributed off the bench during the Chicago Bulls' first three-peat championships from 1991–1993. He developed into a front-court reserve during his fifteen seasons in the NBA, where he was known for his hustle and strong defense. Since his retirement, Williams has coached in the NBA Development League and NBA as well as commentating for a variety of NBA teams. Williams is currently the color analyst for the Grand Canyon Antelopes men's basketball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 NBA Finals</span> 2000 basketball championship series

The 2000 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1999–2000 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers 4 games to 2. Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the series, in arguably one of the best Finals performances in history putting up 38 PPG, 16 rebounds and 2 blocks, his first of three consecutive honors. The series was played under a best-of-seven format, with the Lakers holding home court advantage. The series featured the number one seeds from both conferences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 NBA Finals</span> 1990 basketball championship series

The 1990 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1989–90 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The series pitted the defending NBA and Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons against the Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers.

The 1995–96 NBA season was the Bulls' 30th season in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Bulls acquired controversial All-Star forward and rebound-specialist Dennis Rodman from the San Antonio Spurs, and signed free agents Randy Brown and James Edwards. At midseason, the team signed John Salley, who was previously released by the expansion Toronto Raptors; Rodman, Edwards and Salley were all teammates on the Detroit Pistons during the "Bad Boy" era, where they won two straight championships in 1989 and 1990. The Bulls had the best team offensive rating and the best team defensive rating in the NBA.

The 2005–06 Miami Heat season was the 18th National Basketball Association season for the Miami Heat basketball franchise. During the offseason, the Heat acquired Jason Williams and James Posey from the Memphis Grizzlies, and All-Star forward Antoine Walker from the Boston Celtics, while signing free agent All-Star point guard Gary Payton. Early into the season, after a 15–12 start to the year, head coach Stan Van Gundy resigned, citing the desire to spend more time with his family, and Pat Riley resumed coaching the Heat. The Heat went 39–23 the rest of the way, finishing with a 52–30 record, good enough for first place in the Southeast Division and second place in the Eastern Conference overall. Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal were both selected for the 2006 NBA All-Star Game.

The 1988–89 NBA season was the Detroit Pistons' 41st season in the NBA and 32nd season in the Detroit metropolitan area. The Pistons moved from the Pontiac Silverdome to the brand-new Palace of Auburn Hills before the start of the season.

The 1999–2000 NBA season was the Pacers' 24th season in the National Basketball Association, and 33rd season as a franchise. It was also their first season playing at the Conseco Fieldhouse. During the off-season, the Pacers acquired top draft pick and high school star Jonathan Bender from the Toronto Raptors, and acquired rookie center Jeff Foster from the Golden State Warriors. The Pacers played around .500 with a 7–7 start to the season, but then won 15 of their next 17 games, and held a 32–16 record at the All-Star break. The team finished first place in the Central Division with a 56–26 record, highlighted by a franchise-best 25-game winning streak at home, which was worthy of the Eastern Conference first seed in the playoffs, guaranteed home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time in franchise history, and an all-time franchise best win–loss record.

The 1997–98 NBA season was the Mavericks' 18th season in the National Basketball Association. In the off-season, the Mavericks acquired three-point specialist Dennis Scott from the Orlando Magic, and signed free agent Hubert Davis. After winning their first three games of the season, the Mavericks struggled once again losing ten straight in November. Head coach Jim Cleamons was fired, and replaced with General Manager Don Nelson after a 4–12 start. Along the way, forward A.C. Green broke the NBA's Iron Man record of most consecutive games played, breaking Randy Smith's record, which was 906 consecutive games. After winning their first game under Nelson, which was a 105–91 home victory over the New York Knicks on December 4, 1997, the Mavericks traveled to Mexico City, Mexico, where they lost to the Houston Rockets, 108–106 on December 6, which was the first NBA regular season game played in Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Taylor (basketball)</span> American basketball player

Terry Taylor is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Austin Peay Governors.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bubba Wells - Official Site of Austin Peay Athletics". Apsugovernors.com. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
  2. Mike Thomas (1 May 2020). "How Dennis Rodman Helped Bubba Wells Make His Way Into the NBA Record Books". sportscasting.coc. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  3. "Charles Wells - Assistant coach". SIUE Cougars. siuecougars.com. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  4. Andrew Keh (30 April 2016). "The Birth of Hack-a-Shaq". New York Times . Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  5. Bubba Update Archived September 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , Austin Peay State University website, Fall 1998
  6. "History: This Date in History - March". Nba.com. Archived from the original on 2010-03-21. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
  7. "BULLS: Chicago Bulls All-Time Transactions". Nba.com. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
  8. "Wells Joins Coaching Staff at SIUE". Clarksville Now. May 28, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.