10 players who died before reaching their peak He was 30 years old. Kendall needed to get to Tyvola. Phills' No. We had some great talks and some great times. Even as he made the short trek to the scene, Shinn kept thinking, Maybe I heard him wrong. Its kind of like me and my dad we spent a bunch of time on the court. Michael Jordan called Phills the toughest defender he ever faced. Phills Sr. had visited Bobby in Charlotte that Christmas, just a couple of weeks before the accident. What else do you need? Phills died while traveling on Tyvola Road in Charlotte, North Carolina,after driving at a high rate of speed with then-teammate David Wesley. Charlotte finished the season with a 49-33 record, but lost to Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs. Woolard laid his head down before hearing a voice. In December 1998, Wesley was charged with driving 79 mph in a Phills lost control and crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with a car. Things changed, Jobe said. He heard the news about 10 minutes into his workout. 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. To be honest, Trey said, she might be tougher than me on the court., As promising as the Phills childrens basketball careers have been, Bobby Phillss college coach Jobe hopes to see them honor their fathers legacy off the court. Blydenburgh, the crash investigator. "Not only was Bobby a tremendous person, but a great husband, father and role model that everyone respected and admired. when he lost control of his black Porsche. Veering into the coming traffic, his black 1997 Porsche with a vanity license plate that read ''SLAM'N'' was hit by an Oldsmobile Cutlass Sierra driven by Robert Taylor Woolard Jr., 31, absorbing the impact on the driver's side door. He trailed Phills and Wesley on Tyvola by less than a minute. I had some real jocks they werent interested in anything but playing ball. No, that cant be true. She called Wesley. 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. For a long time, I couldnt think of a time when I wasnt thinking about him, Wesley said. Princeton, Stanford, Harvard, and other elite colleges recruited him. He was in his third year of a seven-year, $33 million contract. What you doing? Dwayne asked. Are you hurt? A few minutes later, according to Silas, the coach received a call from David Wesley. The new Charlotte Hornets will re-retire Bobby Phills' No. 13 jersey on 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. Hes calling his wife to meet us. The Bobby Phills Scholarship Fund (www.bobbyphillsfund.com) has been set up in his honor. "He was a very in-depth person and just a treasure to be around," he said. I stopped in the middle of the street. There was none of the normal jabbering among players. country," he said. The two other drivers were hospitalized and listed in stable condition. Phills played in the NBA for nine seasons, his first six with the Cleveland Cavaliers and last three with the Charlotte Hornets. You say, Why wasnt it me instead of him? One mistake, one accident. 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. He was going 107 m.p.h. charities and related organizations. This must be bad. Bobby came back the next day and said: 'I want to stay here, Coach. Phills Laid To Rest - CBS News She just completed her junior season and is being pursued by several top colleges. Ive got some bad news, Dwayne told his father. Yeah, Bobby was perfect. The older you get, the more you appreciate people like him. The game was postponed. Silas spent the morning shootaround showing his team film of the Bucks blowout. "He had extreme high character. Coach, we just cant deal with that, he said. spokesman Keith Bridges said Thursday. Ill go through the photo albums. Charlotte Hornets guard Bobby Phills was speeding in his Porsche after practice Wednesday when he lost control, crashed into a car and died instantly. finalists for the NBA's Sportsmanship Award and started the "Bobby Daddy is in heaven with the angels, Bobby Phills III told several hundred mourners at Charlottes Central Church of God before returning to the crowd and embracing his year-old sister, Kerstie. Over his nine-year career, he averaged 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. And I let him know I was going to take care of his kids.". It always seems like something happens to those types of guys, said Chucky Brown, who had played with Phills on the Hornets. He said any charges must await completion of the Hornets' Phills dies in car wreck - Deseret News He had everything. Bobby Phills SOURCE: Pinterest 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. . That moment that mistake ended Phillss life at 30 years old. I wanted him to be as idealistic as I thought I was.. One of the most active Hornets players in the community, Phills was a tireless volunteer for childrens charities and related organizations. Bobby is gone, Silas said. 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. Tests showed he was legally drunk. "This is the ultimate tragedy, and our immediate thoughts and Kerstie Phills is in her freshman season at Wagner College, where she also plays guard. the accident scene. Davis was in his own car when the crash occurred. It will not happen again.. There was nothing he didnt think he could do. ''The skid marks indicate he was not going in a straight line,'' he said. ESPN.com: NBA - Wesley: 'It gets a little easier and easier each day' Upon hearing the news, George Shinn, the Charlotte Hornets owner, said, "This is the ultimate tragedy.". Kendall Phills went running with a friend the morning Bobby died. NBA Player Killed | WIRED When the Knicks hired Walsh in 2008, Jobe came aboard as a scout, and he remains part of the Knicks organization. In October, Hornets Eldridge Recasner suffered a partially collapsed lung and a broken shoulder after teammate Derrick Coleman, who was driving the vehicle in which Recasner was a passenger, collided with a tractor-trailer. Coach, Wesley said. 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. ", Active in the community, Phills volunteered for children's charities and related organizations. executive vice president of basketball operations. While the No. Before long, Jobe noticed slips of paper arriving under his office door Phills had begun charting his daily makes and misses. ''Bobby was a solid person,'' said Wayne Embry, the Cavaliers' president. There was no time to react before his Cutlass and the Porsche collided. His community. The Hornets selected Davis with the third pick in the 1999 draft. He had only recently purchased the Oldsmobile Cutlass he was driving when he turned onto Tyvola. [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. 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. zone on Main Street in Pineville, N.C. Court records show he paid a $25 fine and $86 in court costs. I dont even know his name. That night, Charlotte was scheduled tohost the Chicago Bulls. He joined the team in 1997 after six years with Cleveland. What's more impressive, however, is that Bobby was a true man. 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. A family man. . It really hits home with me because he has two kids about the same age as mine, and I know the impact a father has on kids like that its a very tragic day for this league.. He averaged 10.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists a game for his career at the end of last season and was fourth on the team in scoring this season. Both Phills and Wesley have been charged with speeding in the OK, youre alive. The day of the accident, Miller had returned to the Hornets practice facility after shootaround to lift weights. 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. Two days later, members of the Hornets and Knicks attended Phillss memorial service. on a street where the speed limit was 45. When Minnesotas Malik Sealy died in a car accident the same year as Phills, she offered Sealys widow, Lisa, both financial and emotional support. After learning that his wife was pregnant, hed bought the new car in preparation for the arrival of their child. Trey loved the game, but his mother could see him struggling with his confidence. It was so terrible, and its something Ill never, ever forget.. Phills, 30, died instantly when his black Porsche collided with another . Phills, 30, was killed in an automobile accident Wednesday morning. ESPN.com - NBA - Charlotte community remembers Phills Kids started acting different. He is a longtime friend of Indiana Pacers consultantand former New York Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh. He was fourth on the team in scoring this season with 13.6 points per game. His Porsche veered into oncoming traffic and crashed into two other vehicles. After Silas was named interim coach, Phills asked him, Coach, you want to keep this job? Silas answered yes, and Phills told him, OK, youre going to have it. Phills encouraged his teammates to dig in and finish the 50-game season strong, and Charlotte went 22-13 under Silas that year, good enough for the Hornets to name him the full-timehead coach. His teammate Derrick Coleman, driving the sport utility vehicle in which Recasner was a passenger, was arrested on a drunken driving charge. Click here to watch Jalen & Jacoby, Grantland Features, and video podcasts. 1:09. I dont know who was at fault. 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. "[6] Wesley was later convicted of reckless driving after being cleared of a racing charge. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. In 2004, the NBA added an expansion team, the Charlotte Bobcats. Jersey of former Southern star Bobby Phills returns to Charlotte He was far enough back to where I wasnt even sure he was going to make the light, but he made the light. Wesley said they both accelerated: It couldnt have been a mile, and that was kind of it. No matter who you were on the team or within the organization, Bobby Phills looked out for you. Trey and Silas put in hard hours working to improve Treys shot. Phills and teammate David Wesley were racing each. He was known as a defensive stopper,[2] averaging 1.3 steals per game for his career, and an excellent perimeter shooter, with a 39.0% career three-point shooting percentage. Yeah, I concentrate better, Phills said, because I dont want to chase a rebound up in the bleachers.. Everything hurt. Develop a romance with the ball. Thats the Bobby I know.. He meant a lot to the community. Hes in his Porsche, Im in my Porsche, Wesley said. 65-mph zone on Interstate 485. His Porsche veered into oncoming traffic and. Of course, when I found out who it was, I started doubting myself, Woolard said. After the game, Brewer approached the boys mother, Kendall Phills. The Charlotte Observer reported that both Phills and Wesley had previous speed violations. The following season, on the morning of Phillss death, Silas fumed at his team. See the article in its original context from. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. At Southern, the coach had prioritized scoring above all else. He had stopped at a red light, turned left, and then approached the scene. Amanda OHara sits down with former Charlotte Hornets player, Bobby Phills family to discuss their foundation and Phills kids goals. She saw paramedics on the scene and feared the worst as she turned to look at her husbands Porsche. 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