Bobby Phills

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Bobby Phills bigraphy, stories - American basketball player

Bobby Phills : biography

December 20, 1969 – January 12, 2000

Bobby Ray Phills II (December 20, 1969 – January 12, 2000) was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association’s Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets.

A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Phills attended Baton Rouge’s Southern University. He was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

Phills was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1991 NBA Draft (45th overall), but was cut in December 1991 without playing a game for them. He signed with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the Continental Basketball Association where he averaged 23.1 points before rejoining the NBA with the Cavaliers late in the 1991–92 season. Over his nine-year career, he averaged 11 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.

On January 12, 2000, while a member of the Charlotte Hornets, Phills was killed in an automobile accident in Charlotte, North Carolina. Phills was traveling behind teammate David Wesley at over when his Porsche spun and crossed into oncoming traffic. It hit another car, which in turn was struck in the rear by a minivan.Chris Tomasson, , Rocky Mountain News, June 13, 2007. The drivers of the other two vehicles recovered, while Phills was pronounced dead at the scene. A police report said Phills and Wesley were driving "in an erratic, reckless, careless, in a negligent or aggressive manner." Wesley later was convicted of reckless driving after being cleared of a racing charge. Phills is survived by his parents, his wife Kendall, and three children.

The Hornets retired his #13 jersey number on February 9, 2000. Phills’ was the first number that the Hornets franchise had ever retired.