Nathan "Nate the Snake" Bowman (March 19, 1943 – December 11, 1984) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player born in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

. A 6'10"

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

from

Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

, Bowman played five seasons (1966–1971) in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

and one season (1971–1972) in the American Basketball Association as a member of the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

, New York Knicks,

Buffalo Braves The Buffalo Braves were an American professional basketball franchise based in Buffalo, New York. The Braves competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division from 1970 ...

, and

Pittsburgh Condors The Pittsburgh Condors were a professional basketball team in the original American Basketball Association (ABA). Originally called the Pittsburgh Pipers, they were a charter franchise of the ABA and captured the first league title. The team pla ...

. He won an

NBA Championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

as a reserve for the Knicks in 1970. In his NBA/ABA career, Bowman tallied 745 total points and 878 total

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

. He was a good rebounder, but a poor shooter who had a problem with committing personal fouls, thus earning the nickname "Nate the Snake." In his NBA/ABA career, he committed more personal fouls than he scored field goals. Bowman was one of several players involved in a November 20, 1968 brawl between the Knicks and

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

at Atlanta's

Alexander Memorial Coliseum Hank McCamish Pavilion, nicknamed The Thrillerdome and originally known as Alexander Memorial Coliseum, is an indoor arena located on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the home of the Georgia Tech Yellow ...

. The fight eventually spilled into the stands, where fans grabbed Bowman so that Atlanta's Bill Bridges could land a punch. None of the participants were fined more than $25. Bowman was a swinger and attended swing parties at actor

Ted Ross Theodore Ross Roberts (June 30, 1934 – September 3, 2002) was an American actor who was probably best known for his role as the Lion in ''The Wiz'', an all-African American reinterpretation of ''The Wizard of Oz''. He won a Tony Award for t ...

's house. Bowman died of cardiac arrest on December 11, 1984 in New York City. He had finished an audition for a

Miller Brewing Company The Miller Brewing Company is an American brewery and beer company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1855 by Frederick Miller. Molson Coors acquired the full global brand portfolio of Miller Brewing Company in 2016, and operates the ...

television commercial when he began to complain about chest pains. Bowman arrived at Roosevelt-St. Luke's Hospital with no vital signs and died in the emergency room.

Notes

External links

* 1943 births 1984 deaths American men's basketball players Basketball players from Texas Buffalo Braves players Centers (basketball) Chicago Bulls expansion draft picks Chicago Bulls players Cincinnati Royals draft picks New York Knicks players Pittsburgh Condors players Seattle SuperSonics expansion draft picks Sportspeople from Fort Worth, Texas Wichita State Shockers men's basketball players {{1940s-US-basketball-bio-stub