Matt Bonner

Last updated

Matt Bonner
Matt bonner spurs 2010.jpg
Bonner with the Spurs in 2010
Personal information
Born (1980-04-05) April 5, 1980 (age 43)
Concord, New Hampshire, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school Concord (Concord, New Hampshire)
College Florida (1999–2003)
NBA draft 2003: 2nd round, 45th overall pick
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Playing career2003–2016
Position Power forward / center
Number16, 15
Career history
2003–2004 Pallacanestro Messina
2004–2006 Toronto Raptors
2006–2016 San Antonio Spurs
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points 4,632 (5.8 ppg)
Rebounds 1,749 (3.0 rpg)
Assists 552 (0.7 apg)
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Matthew Robert Bonner (born April 5, 1980), also known as the Red Rocket or Red Mamba, is an American former professional basketball player. Bonner played college basketball for the University of Florida before being selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 45th overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft. During his career Bonner played for the Toronto Raptors and the San Antonio Spurs with whom he won two NBA championships. He is the only player in NBA history to be born in New Hampshire.

Contents

Early life

Born in Concord, New Hampshire, Bonner attended Concord High School, where he helped lead them to three state championships. [1] Bonner was also the Valedictorian of his graduating class. [2]

College career

Bonner accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida, where he played for coach Billy Donovan's Florida Gators men's basketball team from 1999 to 2003. In his four seasons, he amassed 1,570 points, 778 rebounds and 165 three-point field goals. As a senior in 2003, he was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection and an Associated Press honorable mention All-American.

Bonner graduated with a bachelor's degree, with high honors, in business administration and a 3.96 grade point average (GPA). He won Academic All-American of the Year for the sport of basketball in both 2002 and 2003. [3]

Professional career

Italy (2003–2004)

Bonner was selected with the 45th overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls but was then traded to the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors did not have a roster spot available at the time and asked Bonner to play overseas and hone his skills with a verbal promise to make the team the following season.

Bonner signed with Sicilia Messina of the Italian league in Messina, Sicily. Sicilia filed for bankruptcy in the middle of the season and stopped paying its players. Many players left the team but Bonner continued to play and finished the year averaging 19.2 points and 9.3 rebounds.

Toronto Raptors (2004–2006)

In September 2004, Bonner signed a one-year deal with the Toronto Raptors. On December 15, 2004, Bonner was ejected during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves after attempting to block a Kevin Garnett shot attempt, with Raptors fans giving him a standing ovation, chanting his name and high-fiving him on his way out. [4] [5] In 2004–05, he played in all 82 regular season games and averaged 7.2 points. He remains the only Raptors rookie to play all 82 games in a season. [6]

In August 2005, Bonner re-signed with the Raptors on a two-year deal. [7]

San Antonio Spurs (2006–2016)

On June 21, 2006, Bonner was traded with Eric Williams and a second round draft pick to the San Antonio Spurs for Rasho Nesterović and cash considerations. In his first season with the Spurs, he averaged 4.9 points in just 11.7 minutes per game, both of which were career lows for Bonner at that time. [8] The team went on to win the NBA championship that season.

In July 2007, Bonner re-signed with the Spurs on a three-year deal. On December 11, 2007, in a loss to the Golden State Warriors, Bonner recorded season-highs of 25 points and 17 rebounds. [9]

On December 7, 2009, Bonner scored a career high 28 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in a 104–101 loss to the Utah Jazz. [10]

In July 2010, Bonner again re-signed with the Spurs on a multi-year deal. He went on to lead the NBA in three-point field goal percentage for 2010–11 after he shot 45.7%. [11]

Bonner preparing to take a free throw, 2010 Bonner free throw1.JPG
Bonner preparing to take a free throw, 2010

In 2011, Bonner starred in Fundamentals of the Game with Coach B, a comedy web series hosted on the Spurs' official website. [12]

After a social media campaign from his brother Luke, Bonner participated in the 2013 NBA Three-Point Shootout during All-Star Weekend. He recorded a score of 19 in the first round to knock out Ryan Anderson (18) and Stephen Curry (17) and advanced to the final where he lost 20–23 to Kyrie Irving. Later that year, Bonner and the Spurs reached the NBA Finals where they lost to the Miami Heat in seven games.

On June 15, 2014, Bonner won his second NBA championship after the Spurs defeated the Miami Heat 4–1 in the 2014 NBA Finals. On July 21, 2014, Bonner re-signed with the Spurs, [13]

On July 15, 2015, Bonner again re-signed with the Spurs. [14] Bonner's final NBA game was played on April 13, 2016, in a 96–91 win over the Dallas Mavericks where he recorded 6 points,1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 block.

He announced his retirement on January 6, 2017. [15] [16] On January 12, 2017, the Spurs jokingly "retired" Bonner's iconic flannel shirt in a locker room ceremony. [17]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage 3P%  3-point field goal percentage FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high
 † Won an NBA championship  * Led the league

Regular season

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2004–05 Toronto 82018.9.533.424.7893.5.6.5.27.2
2005–06 Toronto 78621.9.448.420.8293.6.7.6.47.5
2006–07† San Antonio 56011.7.447.383.7112.8.4.3.24.9
2007–08 San Antonio 68312.5.416.336.8642.8.5.2.34.8
2008–09 San Antonio 816723.8.496.440.7394.81.0.6.38.2
2009–10 San Antonio 65817.9.446.390.7293.31.0.5.47.0
2010–11 San Antonio 66121.7.464.457*.7443.6.9.4.37.3
2011–12 San Antonio 65220.4.440.420.7623.3.9.2.36.6
2012–13 San Antonio 68413.4.487.442.7331.9.5.3.34.2
2013–14† San Antonio 61011.3.445.429.7502.1.5.2.23.2
2014–15 San Antonio 721913.0.409.365.8111.6.7.1.23.7
2015–16 San Antonio 3026.9.509.441.750.9.3.2.02.5
Career79211216.9.464.414.7803.0.7.4.35.8

Playoffs

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2007† San Antonio 902.8.286.2501.000.3.0.2.0.8
2008 San Antonio 204.5.667.000.0001.01.0.0.02.0
2009 San Antonio 5520.0.217.2311.0003.2.0.6.43.0
2010 San Antonio 10017.3.432.3701.0003.2.4.1.35.0
2011 San Antonio 6020.5.480.333.8003.2.3.2.26.3
2012 San Antonio 13012.7.313.348.6001.9.7.2.32.4
2013 San Antonio 20113.4.475.469.8332.0.3.3.34.1
2014† San Antonio 2226.1.476.333.750.7.5.1.01.3
2015 San Antonio 705.1.200.222.000.9.1.1.1.9
Career94811.0.402.355.8111.7.4.2.22.8

Awards and achievements

Post-NBA career

After retiring from professional basketball, Bonner joined the San Antonio Spurs TV Broadcast as a studio analyst. [18]

Personal life

Bonner speaking into a microphone Matt Bonner.jpg
Bonner speaking into a microphone

Bonner and his wife Nadia have one daughter, Evangeline-Vesper Lynne Bonner (born June 21, 2009) and one son, August Bonner (born August 27, 2012).

He has a younger brother, Luke, who was also a professional basketball player. Luke served as Matt's best man at his wedding. [19]

Bonner applied for Canadian citizenship in February 2009, but did not qualify, due to the amount of time he spent outside the country. [20]

Bonner is a sandwich enthusiast. He has a blog titled "The Sandwich Hunter: The Quest for the Hoagie Grail" in which he documents his search for the "world's best sandwich." [21] He is also a fan of the sport of curling, due to discovering it on Canadian television during his tenure with the Toronto Raptors. [22]

During his tenure with the Toronto Raptors, he received the nickname the "Red Rocket" for his red hair and constant use of the public transit in Toronto, the Toronto Transit Commission, whose slogan is "Ride the Rocket."

Kobe Bryant coined Bonner's other nickname, the "Red Mamba", on Twitter while live-tweeting in 2013 during a televised replay of his 81-point game against Bonner and the Toronto Raptors. [23]

He was well known for being the lone NBA player wearing New Balance shoes, [24] even though he did not have a proper sponsorship deal with the brand. He said in an interview that a friend, who was a New Balance representative, was the one who provided him with a few dozen pairs of shoes. A few years later, after wearing out all the shoes, and New Balance being out of the basketball sneaker market, Bonner finally signed his first basketball shoe deal with Adidas in January 2014 with the use of the Nice Kicks twitter account. [25]

Bonner and his brother Luke run a nonprofit organization called the Rock On Foundation, in which they look to support community involvement in arts and athletics. [26]

In March 2016, Bonner was featured on the season-premiere episode of FYI's Tiny House Nation , where he and his wife Nadia had a 276-sq.-foot house custom-built. [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcus Camby</span> American former basketball player (born 1974)

Marcus Dion Camby is an American former professional basketball player who played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named Defensive Player of the Year during the 2006–07 NBA season, leading the league in blocked shots per game. Camby is also a four-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team and is 12th on the NBA's all-time career blocks list.

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

Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. is an American former professional basketball player who serves as a basketball analyst for YES Network and formerly ESPN. He currently works as an alternate Studio Analyst for the NBA on TNT. He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, but occasionally played power forward later in his NBA career. He was an eight-time All-Star and a two-time All-NBA Team selection. He is the only player in NBA history to play as many as 22 seasons from his debut in 1999 to his retirement in 2020. He was the scoring leader on the 2000 United States Men's Olympic Basketball Team where the USA defeated France to win the nation's twelfth Men's Basketball Olympic gold medal. He entertained crowds with his leaping ability and slam dunks, earning him nicknames such as "Vinsanity", "Air Canada" named after the Canadian airline with the same name, and "Half Man, Half Amazing". He has been ranked as the greatest dunker of all time by numerous players, journalists, and by the National Basketball Association (NBA). In addition to his dunking prowess, he was a prolific three-point shooter, making the ninth most three-point field goals in league history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Bosh</span> American basketball player (born 1984)

Christopher Wesson Bosh is an American former professional basketball player. A Texas Mr. Basketball in high school, he played one season of college basketball for Georgia Tech before declaring for the 2003 NBA draft. Bosh was selected fourth overall by the Toronto Raptors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Lee (basketball)</span> American basketball player (born 1983)

David Lee is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators before he was drafted 30th overall by the New York Knicks in the 2005 NBA draft. He was a 2-time NBA All-Star and was selected to the All-NBA Third Team in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rasho Nesterović</span> Slovenian basketball player (born 1976)

Radoslav "Rasho" Nesterović is a Slovenian former professional basketball player. He holds citizenship in both Slovenia and Greece. During his career in the NBA, Nesterović played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, and Toronto Raptors. He retired in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willie Anderson (basketball)</span> American basketball player (born 1966)

Willie Lloyd Anderson Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. During his professional career, Anderson played nine seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and three seasons in the EuroLeague. He was named to the 1988–89 NBA season's All-Rookie First Team. While he was a member of the Greek Basket League club AEK Athens, he played in the 1998 EuroLeague Final. Anderson won an Olympic bronze medal as a member of the United States national team in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rudy Gay</span> American basketball player (born 1986)

Rudy Carlton Gay Jr. is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The forward played college basketball for the UConn Huskies before being selected eighth overall in the 2006 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets; he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies days later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corey Brewer</span> American basketball player (born 1986)

Corey Wayne Brewer is an American former professional basketball player who serves as a player development coach for the New Orleans Pelicans. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators, winning back-to-back NCAA national championships in 2006 and 2007. He was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2007 NCAA tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serge Ibaka</span> Congolese-Spanish basketball player

Serge Jonás Ibaka Ngobila is a Congolese-Spanish professional basketball player for Bayern Munich of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. Ibaka was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 24th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. Ibaka is a three-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection and has twice led the league in blocks. Although born in the Republic of the Congo, Ibaka is also a Spanish citizen and has played for the Spain national team. In 2019, he won an NBA championship as a key member of the Toronto Raptors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeMarre Carroll</span> American basketball player (born 1986)

DeMarre LaEdrick Carroll is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected as the 27th overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2009 NBA draft. Carroll played in the NBA for 11 seasons with the Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets and San Antonio Spurs. He played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores and Missouri Tigers.

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

Daniel Richard Green is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In his NBA career, Green has played for six teams. As of 2020, Green is one of just four players in history to have won NBA championships with three different teams; he won titles with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, the Toronto Raptors in 2019, and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeMar DeRozan</span> American basketball player (born 1989)

DeMar Darnell DeRozan is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans and was selected ninth overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2009 NBA draft. He is a six-time NBA All-Star and a three-time All-NBA Team member. He spent nine seasons with the Raptors, including five playoff runs, before being traded to the San Antonio Spurs in the summer of 2018 and the Bulls in 2021. DeRozan has played for the United States national team in the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aron Baynes</span> Australian basketball player

Aron John Baynes is an Australian professional basketball player for the Brisbane Bullets of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for Washington State University before starting his professional career in Europe. In 2013, he joined the San Antonio Spurs, and a year later, won an NBA championship with the Spurs. He has also played with the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, and Toronto Raptors. Baynes also plays for the Australian national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin Daye</span> American basketball player (born 1988)

Austin Darren Daye is an American professional basketball player who last played for Victoria Libertas Pesaro of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for Gonzaga before being drafted 15th overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2009 NBA draft. He has played for the Pistons, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Toronto Raptors, the San Antonio Spurs and the Atlanta Hawks, while also spending time in Russia, Italy and the NBA Development League. Daye won an NBA championship with the Spurs in 2014. With Umana Reyer Venezia, Daye won the Lega Basket Serie A championship in 2019 and the Italian Basketball Cup in 2020; he was also named most valuable player of the 2019 LBA Finals and the 2020 Italian Basketball Cup Finals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kawhi Leonard</span> American basketball player (born 1991)

Kawhi Anthony Leonard is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time NBA champion, he is a six-time All-Star and a five-time member of the All-NBA Team. Nicknamed the "Claw" or "Klaw" for his ball-hawking skills and exceptionally large hands, Leonard is often regarded as one of the greatest two-way players in NBA history, earning seven All-Defensive Team selections and winning Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2015 and 2016. In 2021, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cory Joseph</span> Canadian basketball player

Cory Ephram Joseph is a Canadian professional basketball player who last played for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the point guard position and was previously the captain of the Canadian national team.

Khem Xavier Birch is a Canadian professional basketball player for Bàsquet Girona of the Spanish Liga ACB. He played college basketball for the Pittsburgh Panthers and the UNLV Runnin' Rebels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jakob Pöltl</span> Austrian basketball player

Jakob Pöltl is an Austrian professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Utah Utes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Nembhard</span> Canadian basketball player (born 2000)

Andrew William Nembhard is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Florida Gators and the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Wieskamp</span> American basketball player

Joseph Hinman Wieskamp is an American professional basketball player for the Maine Celtics of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Iowa Hawkeyes before being drafted 41st overall in the 2021 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs.

References

  1. ↑ "Matt Bonner". NewHampshire.com. February 14, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Mini bio". NBA.com. January 22, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Bio – Matt Bonner". GatorZone.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Bonner a big hit with fans". The Globe and Mail . December 16, 2004.
  5. ↑ "Ex-Rap Bonner retires after 12 seasons". TSN . January 6, 2017.
  6. ↑ Dubbin, Adam (August 5, 2020). "All-Time Gators Men's Basketball Bio: Matt Bonner (1999–2003)". USA Today .
  7. ↑ "Return of the Red Rocket". Raptors HQ. August 21, 2005.
  8. ↑ "Matt Bonner". NBA Stats. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Duncan-less Spurs see win streak snapped at five". ESPN.com. December 11, 2007. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  10. ↑ "San Antonio Spurs at Utah Jazz Box Score, December 7, 2009". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  11. ↑ "NBA Player 3-Point Shooting Statistics – 2010–11 leaders". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Video: Learn NBA fundamentals from Matt Bonner". sports.yahoo.com. February 10, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Spurs Re-Sign Matt Bonner". NBA.com. July 21, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Spurs Re-sign Matt Bonner". NBA.com. July 15, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Matt Bonner Announces Retirement From NBA". NBA.com. January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Ex-Spurs player Matt Bonner announces retirement with hilarious retirement video". FOXSports.com. January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Spurs jokingly 'retire' Matt Bonner's flannel shirt". ESPN.com. January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  18. ↑ "MATT BONNER JOINS SAN ANTONIO SPURS TV BROADCAST". NBA.com. January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Bonner Brothers Reunite Deep In The Heart Of Texas". NBA.com. April 10, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Spurs' Bonner applies for Canadian citizenship". TSN.ca. February 11, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Matt Bonner's Sandwich Hunter Archive". NBA.com. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  22. ↑ Brazeau, Jonathan (January 24, 2017). "Matt Bonner's tenure with Raptors led to curling fandom". Sportsnet .
  23. ↑ "Kobe Bryant". Twitter.com. January 22, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  24. ↑ "San Antonio Spurs' player Matt Bonner is the first NBA player to land a sneaker deal via Twitter". ESPN.com. May 19, 2014. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Kicks On Court: Matt Bonner Signs with adidas, Wears Crazy 8". Nicekicks.com. January 23, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Rock On Foundation". Rockonfoundation.org. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  27. ↑ Andrew Joseph (March 30, 2016). "Tall NBA player Matt Bonner bought a tiny house". USA Today. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.