Regular readers will know I grew up with an unordinary obsession with Bonzi Wells. I still can’t pinpoint where it came from. He wasn’t a star – instead, he was a solid player who could be spectacular for stretches or a complete nuisance for coaches. He wasn’t a hyped high school player – unlike someone like O.J. Mayo, who’ll forever have a following in the NBA because he had so many young fans latch on when he was still trying to get a date for the prom. And Wells didn’t win either – although he played in some big playoff games throughout his career.
I once wrote that my all-time “I don’t know why I love these dudes” team included a starting lineup of Alvin Williams, Wells, Glen Rice, Al Harrington and Matt Geiger. But I never modeled my game after Williams, Rice, Harrington or “trade kicker” Geiger, never stayed up late to catch every West Coast game because of them, never tried rocking the double armbands super high on the biceps because of anyone but Gawen DeAngelo Wells.
Wells turned 36 years old today, and I’m still pissed they barely have any highlights of him on YouTube.
What do you remember about Bonzi?
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