Samuel Paul Bowie (born March 17, 1961) is an American former professional
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. A national sensation in high school and outstanding collegian and Olympic team member, Bowie's professional promise was undermined by repeated injuries to his legs and feet. In spite of the setbacks, the and
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 ...
played ten seasons 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 ...
(NBA).
Projected as a solid first-rounder in the
1984 NBA draft, Bowie was chosen by the
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...
as the second selection, ahead of
Michael Jordan, due to Portland already having drafted
Clyde Drexler
Clyde Austin Drexler (born June 22, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player and the commissioner of the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league. Nicknamed "Clyde the Glide", he played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association ...
just a year before.
Early life
Bowie was born on March 17, 1961, as the son of Ben Bowie and Cathy “Sammy” Bowie. His father was and had played basketball for the
Harlem Magicians for six seasons. Bowie's parents divorced when he was 12. After the divorce, Bowie lived with both of his parents in
Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Lebanon () is a city in and the county seat of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,814 at the 2020 census. Lebanon is located in the central part of the Lebanon Valley, east of Harrisburg and west of Reading.
...
. Concerned about not showing favoritism toward either parent, he then lived with his maternal grandmother until going to college.
Bowie was a sophomore in college when his father died suddenly, aged 45, when a cyst on his lung burst.
Of his father Ben, who died at age 45, Bowie said, "We loved each other more than two individuals could. But we never could say, 'I love you.' Neither of us was that kind of person. That's the thing I'm most sorry about, that I didn't get to tell him I loved him before he was gone."
High school career
Bowie attended
Lebanon High School in
Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Lebanon () is a city in and the county seat of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,814 at the 2020 census. Lebanon is located in the central part of the Lebanon Valley, east of Harrisburg and west of Reading.
...
. He played on its basketball team under Coach Chick Hess. Bowie described Hess, "He's a father. He's responsible. He’s got a head on his shoulder. He just doesn't have two legs that are serving him well. He adjusted to the big-time world. He grew up with blue-collar people who knew what it was like to work for a living. We're all proud of him. He got what he could out of playing pro sports."
A star player, Bowie was heavily recruited.
He averaged over 28 points and 18 rebounds per game, and was a
McDonald's All-American
McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger s ...
and ''
Parade'' All-American. As a junior, he led the Cedars to the state finals, where they lost by a point to
Schenley High School
Schenley High School, located in the North Oakland neighborhood at the edge of the Hill District in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a historic building opened in 1916 that was a part of the Pittsburgh Public Schools. The Schenley High School building ...
of
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
. “When I say this, I mean it with all my heart, from the Kentucky experience to all of my years in pro ball, when I reminisce I go back to my Lebanon Cedar days,” said Bowie in 2018. “I just wish we could’ve won that state championship game. Fifty-one to fifty, we were so close."
Bowie was named national player of the year in 1979. He received the honor over
Harrisonburg, Virginia's
Ralph Sampson
Ralph Lee Sampson Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A phenom, three-time college national player of the year, and first overall selec ...
, another highly recruited center. Sampson and Bowie played in the annual Capital Classic all-star game, which was dubbed the "Battle of the Giants" Played at the
Capital Centre, the game featured the best players in the Washington, D.C. area playing against an all-star squad composed of players from across the United States.
In February, 1979 a ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...
'' magazine article feature focused on Bowie, Sampson and
Steve Stipanovich as the best high school centers.
Bowie played in the 1979
McDonald's All-American Game. The memorable rosters included:
Antoine Carr
Antoine Labotte Carr (born July 23, 1961) is an American retired basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Dawg", he played power forward (and sometimes center) for six different teams in the National Basketball Association across 16 seasons.
Early life ...
,
Quintin Dailey,
Sidney Green,
Clark Kellogg
Clark Clifton Kellogg Jr. (born July 2, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player who is the lead college basketball analyst for CBS Sports. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Indiana Pacers.
Basketbal ...
,
Greg Kite,
Sidney Lowe,
John Paxson
John MacBeth Paxson (born September 29, 1960) is an American basketball administrator and former player who was vice president of basketball operations for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2009 to 2020. He was th ...
,
Ralph Sampson
Ralph Lee Sampson Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A phenom, three-time college national player of the year, and first overall selec ...
,
Byron Scott
Byron Antom Scott (born March 28, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a player, Scott won three NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during their ...
,
Steve Stipanovich,
Isiah Thomas,
Dereck Whittenburg,
Dominique Wilkins
Jacques Dominique Wilkins (born January 12, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Wilkins was a nine-time NBA All-Star, a seven-time All ...
and
James Worthy
James Ager Worthy (born February 27, 1961) is an American sports commentator, television host, analyst, and former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Game James", he played his entire professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers ...
.
College career (1979–1984)
Bowie signed to play for the
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...
, under Coach
Joe B. Hall, in 1979.
Freshman season (1979–1980)
As a freshman during the 1979–80 season at Kentucky, Bowie averaged 12.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. Kentucky finished 29–6 and advanced to the
1980 NCAA tournament. Bowie had 13 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks in Kentucky's 97–78 victory over Florida State. He played nine minutes, fouling out with 2 points and 3 rebounds in a 55–54 loss to Duke.
Sophomore season (1980–1981)
Bowie's sophomore season saw him average 17.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game. He was named a third-team
NCAA Basketball All-American by the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
. In 1981, he set, and now shares, the Kentucky record for most blocked shots in a game, with nine against St. John's.
However, Bowie began sustaining injuries that would plague the remainder of his basketball career. In the third-to-last game of his sophomore season against Vanderbilt, Bowie went up for a dunk but came down off balance. He landed with most of his weight on his left leg, saying that he felt pain but initially tried to play through it. Kentucky qualified for the 48-team
1981 NCAA tournament as the #2 seed in the Mideast Region, with a first-round bye. In the Wildcats' first game of the tournament, against #7 seed
Alabama-Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a public research university in Birmingham, Alabama. Developed from an academic extension center established in 1936, the institution became a four-year campus in 1966 and a fully autonomous univ ...
, Bowie fouled out, playing 21 minutes, as Kentucky was eliminated by UAB 69–62.
Injuries (1981–1983)
After the 1980–1981 season, a stress fracture in his left tibia was discovered, the injury caused Bowie to miss the entire 1981–82 season. The stress fracture did not heal completely and Bowie sat out the entire 1982–83 season as well. Doctors at first thought the pain in the left leg was due to shin splints, but just before the season in 1981, new X-rays revealed Bowie had a stress fracture he had been playing on. He was in a cast for 44 weeks. But, after removing the cast, the injury did not heal properly. Bowie had to have it surgically repaired, with a bone graft.
As his class had graduated, Bowie applied for and was granted an NCAA medical
redshirt
Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi
* Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after ...
to allow him another year of college eligibility.
[Dwyer, Kelly]
Sam Bowie reveals that he lied to Portland about feeling leg pain before the infamous 1984 NBA draft
Yahoo! Sports
Yahoo! Sports is a sports news website launched by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from STATS, Inc. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. B ...
, December 12, 2012.
Senior season (1983–1984)
Bowie returned for the 1983–84 season. Having not played in two years, he played in all 34 Kentucky games and averaged 10.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks. He was named to the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
second-team
All-American team
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
. During his senior season, his heroics in a game against rival
Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
earned him a spot on the cover of ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...
''. Bowie, along with fellow "Twin Tower"
Melvin Turpin (as the Kentucky frontcourt duo was called), and
Kenny Walker led Kentucky to the SEC championship, the SEC Tournament Championship, a top-three national ranking, and a 26–4 season record.
In the
1984 NCAA tournament, the Wildcats defeated
Brigham Young
Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as ch ...
93–68, in-state rival
Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
72–67 and
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
54–51 to advance to the Final Four in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
. Bowie had 16 points and 6 rebounds against BYU, 8 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks against Louisville and 11 points and 14 rebounds against Illinois.
In the Final Four, Kentucky met eventual NCAA Champion
Georgetown, with
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...
in the semi-finals. Kentucky led at the half, but Georgetown defeated the Wildcats 53–40, ending Bowie's college career. Bowie had 10 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in the loss. Ewing had 8 points and 9 rebounds with 0 blocks.
In 96 career games at Kentucky, Bowie averaged 13.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.4 assists on 69.9% shooting. Bowie played 3 seasons in five years.
1980 Olympic team
In the summer of 1980, Bowie was selected for the
United States Olympic men's basketball team. The 1980 United States Olympic team was coached by
Dave Gavitt and assisted by
Larry Brown.
The 1980 US team was the youngest American national team ever assembled. Alongside Bowie were team members
Mark Aguirre
Mark Anthony Aguirre (born December 10, 1959) is an American former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Aguirre was chosen as the first overall pick of the 1981 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks after playing thre ...
,
Rolando Blackman,
Michael Brooks,
Bill Hanzlik,
Alton Lister
Alton Lavelle Lister (born October 1, 1958) is an American former professional basketball player. He is currently serving as an assistant coach for TNT Tropang Giga in Philippine Basketball Association.
Lister graduated from Woodrow Wilson High ...
,
Rodney McCray,
Isiah Thomas,
Darnell Valentine
Darnell Terrell Valentine (born February 3, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who played ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Early life
Valentine was born in Chicago, Illinois and graduated from Wic ...
,
Danny Vranes
Daniel LaDrew Vranes (born October 29, 1958) is an American retired professional basketball player.
Vranes led Skyline High School, in Salt Lake City, to the state basketball championship in his senior year (1977). A 6'7" small forward from the ...
,
Buck Williams
Charles Linwood "Buck" Williams (born March 8, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player and former assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers. He was well known for his rebounding ability and trademark goggles.
Williams, ...
and
Al Wood
Martin Alphonzo Wood (born June 2, 1958) is an American former professional basketball player who played in six National Basketball Association (NBA) seasons for four teams: the Atlanta Hawks, San Diego Clippers, Seattle SuperSonics and Dallas M ...
.
The
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan caused the United States and 66 other countries to
boycott the
1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Unable to compete in the Olympics due to the boycott, Team USA played a series of games against NBA all-star teams in various US cities, ending with a 5–1 record. The games were labeled the "Gold Medal Series".
In the six games against NBA All-Stars, Bowie was
Team USA
The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions.
Olympic teams
Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...
's second-leading scorer and leading rebounder and shot-blocker, averaging 11.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks. Bowie was 19 years old while playing on Team USA.
Many years later, he received one of 461
Congressional Gold Medal
The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...
s created especially for the spurned athletes.
NBA career
1984 NBA draft
Entering the
1984 NBA draft, although the
Houston Rockets had tied with the
Indiana Pacers for the NBA's worst record, the Pacers had traded the top pick to the
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...
in 1981 for center
Tom Owens. In 1984, having beat the Blazers in a coin toss for first pick, the Rockets chose
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
center
Hakeem Olajuwon. Unable to choose him, yet still seeking a center, the Blazers chose Bowie. Choosing third, 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 ...
then drafted
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
shooting guard Michael Jordan.
At the time, picking Bowie made sense from the Blazers' perspective. The team had not had a solid big man since
Bill Walton
William Theodore Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is an American television sportscaster and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for coach John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national ...
, one of its first major stars, left in 1979. Soon before the draft, the NBA fined the Blazers $250,000 (equivalent of $,000 in ) for improper contact with Olajuwon and center
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...
. A year earlier, Portland had drafted a shooting guard, Olajuwon's college teammate
Clyde Drexler
Clyde Austin Drexler (born June 22, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player and the commissioner of the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league. Nicknamed "Clyde the Glide", he played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association ...
. Having both Drexler and
Jim Paxson
James Joseph Paxson (born July 9, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player. A first round selection (12th overall) of the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1979 NBA draft, Paxson played for Portland and the Boston Celtics of the N ...
, the Blazers had little need on paper for another shooting guard. Still, in 2005, highlighting Bowie's injury-laden college career, ESPN named the Blazers' choice the worst draft pick in the history of North American professional sports.
Also that year, arguing that teams should draft for talent and not need, ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...
'' named Bowie the biggest
draft bust
A draft is a process used in some countries (especially in North America) and sports (especially in closed leagues) to allocate certain players to teams. In a draft, teams take turns selecting from a pool of eligible players. When a team sele ...
in NBA history.
Portland Trail Blazers (1984–1989)
During his
rookie season, Bowie played in 76 games and averaged 10 points and 8.6 rebounds, earning a spot on the
NBA All-Rookie Team
The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for player ...
. However, in
his second season, Bowie's leg injuries recurred. During a game against the
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...
at
The MECCA, Bowie and teammate
Jerome Kersey
Jerome Kersey (June 26, 1962 – February 18, 2015) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Portland Trail Blazers (1984–1995), Golden State Warriors (1995–96), Los Angele ...
became entangled going for a rebound, and as they landed, Bowie's left tibia broke. He was carried off the floor on a stretcher.
"I firmly believe I can be one of the top centers in the league if I'm healthy," said Bowie. "One year, things are going to fall into place, and I'm going to show people how good I can be."
The next season, Bowie returned. In the season's fifth game against the
Dallas Mavericks, Bowie went up for a jump hook shot. As he went up, his legs buckled underneath him and Bowie fell to the floor. He suffered a season-ending fracture of his right tibia. Bowie compared the feeling having his leg chopped by an ax.
"It was not a pretty sight," Portland teammate Clyde Drexler recalled. "He went to make a move, fell, and threw the ball down hard off the court. I remember seeing part of the bone sticking out of his leg and how he was beating the floor over and over with his fist."
Bowie's subsequent surgery utilized three screws being placed in the bone to keep it together. However, two screws did not hold, so another operation was needed to put in three new screws.
Once again, Bowie came back to play. On October 17, 1987, during pregame warmups for a preseason game with the
Cleveland Cavaliers, Bowie began feeling intense pain in his right leg just walking. Not wanting a stretcher, Bowie was carried off the court by his teammates and was diagnosed with a hairline fracture of his right tibia.
[ On March 29, 1988, Bowie had surgery where he received a graft from his hip bone and had a metal plate with 10 screws permanently attached to his right shin.] The injury effectively sidelined him for the next two seasons; he missed all of the 1987–88 season, as well as the first 62 games of the 1988–89 season. All told, Bowie played 63 games out of a possible 328 during his last four seasons in Portland.
“I have one huge regret,” said Bowie. “I wish I would’ve been more patient and didn’t come back as quickly as I did the second year I fractured my leg. You feel like you disappointed Portland. You’re getting paid a lot of money and you can’t play. I don’t know if it’s guilt or regret. But I’ve never been one to say, ‘Why me?’. I feel I should have an MD behind my name from all the education I've received from my own cases."
New Jersey Nets (1989–1993)
On June 24, 1989, Bowie, who had averaged 10.5 points per game with the Trail Blazers, was traded, along with a draft pick, to the New Jersey Nets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
in exchange for Buck Williams
Charles Linwood "Buck" Williams (born March 8, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player and former assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers. He was well known for his rebounding ability and trademark goggles.
Williams, ...
.
Bowie's four seasons in New Jersey were his most productive, as he had no major injuries. Bowie averaged 12.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game and never missed more than 20 games in a season. His best season was his first with the Nets where he averaged a double-double with 14.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Bowie also hit a career-high in points per game in 1991–92 with 15.0 and played a career-high 79 games in 1992–93 averaging 9.1 points per game and seven rebounds.
"My main objective is to play the game for the fun of it and the love of it," said Bowie, "Every time I go off the court, I'm thankful I didn't get hurt again. I think too many people take their health for granted.
Los Angeles Lakers (1993–1995)
After the 1992–93 season, Bowie was traded for Benoit Benjamin being sent from New Jersey to the Los Angeles Lakers.[Oden's recovery from surgery likely in the range of 6–12 months]
published September 13, 2007, However, Bowie's leg injury problems recurred. Bowie played in 92 games in the two seasons combined, starting in 17 of them. Although Jerry West
Jerome Alan West (born May 28, 1938) is an American basketball executive and former player. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames included "Mr. Clutch", for his ability ...
, the team's general manager, wanted Bowie to continue to play for the Lakers, Bowie decided to retire from professional basketball after the 1994–95 season. He desired to follow his passion and become involved in harness racing.
Career overview
Bowie, Bill Walton
William Theodore Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is an American television sportscaster and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for coach John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national ...
, and Greg Oden
Gregory Wayne Oden Jr. (born January 22, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. Oden, a 7'0" (2.13m) center, played college basketball at Ohio State University for one season, during which the team was the Big Ten Champion ...
are frequently cited together. All three were centers, drafted high by Portland, who failed to achieve their potential due to career-altering injuries.
"You know, I go speak and visit at hospitals a lot—and not to sound mushy—but I've seen 7-, 8-, 9-year-old kids who have had their legs amputated because of bone cancer or a car accident," Bowie said. "That's when it puts things into perspective. There's a kid who wishes he had a leg to break. That's when I realize how lucky I am. I can't complain about the hand I've been dealt. Sure, I've had my share of surgery and broken bones, but these things were meant to be. I'm a Christian and I've always felt that tomorrow is predetermined and that you will never be put through more than you can handle."
Over his NBA career, Bowie averaged 10.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.78 blocks per game.[ He hit 45.2% of his attempted field goals (2,127 made of 4,702 attempted), and 30.2% of his three-point shots (32 made of 106 attempted).
]
Post-basketball endeavors
For a time, Bowie performed color commentary
A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and the ...
for University of Kentucky Basketball.
After he retired from basketball, Bowie returned to Lexington, Kentucky. Bowie is involved in harness racing, both owning and training horses that run at The Red Mile
The Red Mile is a horse racing track located in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. The track hosts harness racing, a type of horse racing in which the horses must pull two-wheeled carts called sulkies while racing. It is one of harness racing's m ...
in Lexington.
Personal life
Bowie has been married twice. He has three now-grown children. "I was blessed in the sense that I was able to be a full-time father." Bowie said.
Bowie married Stephanie Bowie in April 2018 in La Fortuna, Costa Rica.
In 2012, Bowie was featured in an ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
''SEC Storied'' documentary, ''Going Big''. In it, he admitted hiding the extent of his leg troubles from the Blazers. For instance, he said that when a doctor tapped his left tibia with a mallet, he claimed not to feel anything when he was actually in noticeable pain. He developed leg trouble as early as high school; film from the late 1970s shows him struggling to avoid undue strain on his legs and feet.[
]
Honors
* Bowie was inducted into the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.
* Bowie's number 31 was retired by Kentucky Basketball in 2002.
Career statistics
NBA
Regular season
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Portland
, 76 , , 62 , , 29.2 , , .537 , , .000 , , .711 , , 8.6 , , 2.8 , , .7 , , 2.7 , , 10.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Portland
, 38 , , 34 , , 29.8 , , .484 , , .000 , , .708 , , 8.6 , , 2.6 , , .6 , , 2.5 , , 11.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Portland
, 5 , , 5 , , 32.6 , , .455 , , .000 , , .667 , , 6.6 , , 1.8 , , .2 , , 2.0 , , 16.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Portland
, 20 , , 0 , , 20.6 , , .451 , , .714 , , .571 , , 5.3 , , 1.8 , , .4 , , 1.7 , , 8.6
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, 68 , , 54 , , 32.5 , , .416 , , .323 , , .776 , , 10.1 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , 1.8 , , 14.7
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, 62 , , 51 , , 30.9 , , .434 , , .182 , , .732 , , 7.7 , , 2.4 , , .7 , , 1.5 , , 12.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, 71 , , 61 , , 30.7 , , .445 , , .320 , , .757 , , 8.1 , , 2.6 , , .6 , , 1.7 , , 15.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, 79 , , 65 , , 26.5 , , .450 , , .333 , , .779 , , 7.0 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , 1.6 , , 9.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
, 25 , , 7 , , 22.2 , , .436 , , .250 , , .867 , , 5.2 , , 1.9 , , .2 , , 1.1 , , 8.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
, 67 , , 10 , , 18.3 , , .442 , , .182 , , .764 , , 4.3 , , 1.8 , , .3 , , 1.2 , , 4.6
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 511 , , 349 , , 27.6 , , .452 , , .302 , , .748 , , 7.5 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , 1.8 , , 10.9
Playoffs
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
, style="text-align:left;", Portland
, 9 , , 9 , , 28.8 , , .441 , , .000 , , .560 , , 8.4 , , 2.3 , , .4 , , 2.3 , , 7.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
, style="text-align:left;", Portland
, 3 , , 1 , , 22.3 , , .429 , , .500 , , .750 , , 6.7 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 2.3 , , 10.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 1992
, style="text-align:left;", New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, 4 , , 4 , , 28.0 , , .424 , , .500 , , .667 , , 4.8 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , .8 , , 9.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...
, style="text-align:left;", New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, 3 , , 3 , , 23.7 , , .444 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 4.0 , , .7 , , 2.0 , , .3 , , 3.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
, 10 , , 0 , , 13.5 , , .267 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 3.3 , , .3 , , .1 , , .9 , , 2.1
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 29 , , 17 , , 22.2 , , .403 , , .500 , , .673 , , 5.5 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , 1.4 , , 5.7
College
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 1979–80
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
, 34 , , — , , 26.1 , , .531 , , — , , .764 , , 8.1 , , .8 , , .4 , , 2.1 , , 12.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 1980–81
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
, 28 , , — , , 32.0 , , .520 , , — , , .720 , , 9.1 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , 2.9 , , 17.4
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 1983–84
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
, 34 , , — , , 28.8 , , .516 , , — , , .722 , , 9.2 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , 1.9 , , 10.5
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 96 , , — , , 28.8 , , .522 , , — , , .735 , , 8.8 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , 2.3 , , 13.4
References
External links
Sam Bowie
at basketball-reference.com
at bigbluehistory.net
Sam Bowie: la fragilidad del chico del millón de dólares
at Solobasket.com
at SI.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowie, Sam
1961 births
Living people
African-American basketball players
All-American college men's basketball players
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Pennsylvania
Centers (basketball)
Congressional Gold Medal recipients
Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players
Los Angeles Lakers players
McDonald's High School All-Americans
New Jersey Nets players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
People from Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Portland Trail Blazers draft picks
Portland Trail Blazers players
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American sportspeople