Clarence "Sonny" Weems (born July 8, 1986) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the Shanxi Loongs of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkans ...

and the

University of Arkansas at Fort Smith A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. He was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 2008 NBA draft and shortly thereafter traded to the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. He has since played for the Toronto Raptors,

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

and

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

in the NBA, and has had stints in Lithuania and Russia. At , Weems plays both the

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

and

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronge ...

positions. He was an All-EuroLeague First Team selection in

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Early life

Weems was born with cleft feet, and as a child, he was told that he might not be able to walk or run. He stumbled as a youngster and endured painful childhood nights in corrective shoes before finding his stride and becoming a state long-jump and high-jump champion.

High school and college career

Weems played basketball at West Memphis High School where he was named first team all-state as a senior after leading his team to the 5A state championship, and was also a 6–10

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

er in

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

. In Weems' high school career, West Memphis posted a record of 68–10. Weems averaged over 20 points per game as sophomore and junior, and 14.0 rebounds per game as a senior. After high school, Weems attended

junior college A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in ...

at the

University of Arkansas-Fort Smith A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

, and was named 3rd team All-American, as well as all-conference and all-region as a freshman. Ranked as the number one junior college player in the nation by Rivals.com and

Street & Smith's Street & Smith or Street & Smith Publications, Inc. was a New York City publisher specializing in inexpensive paperbacks and magazines referred to as dime novels and pulp fiction. They also published comic books A comic book, also called ...

, Weems took UAFS to the

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

(NJCAA) National Championship in 2006. Weems was named Honorable Mention All-American and was selected for the all-tournament team. In two seasons at UAFS, Weems led the team to a 62–7 record and back-to-back Bi-State Conference Eastern Division titles.

Arkansas Razorbacks

Weems signed with the

Arkansas Razorbacks The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville. The University of Arkansas student body voted to change the name of the school mascot (o ...

as a junior, which was also

Stan Heath Stanley Heath III (born December 17, 1964) is an American basketball coach currently serving as the head coach for Eastern Michigan. Heath formerly served as head coach at the University of South Florida, the University of Arkansas and Kent Sta ...

's final season as head coach. He averaged 11.8 points per game and was named to all-tournament teams at the

Old Spice Classic The ESPN Events Invitational (previously the Orlando Invitational, Orlando Classic, Old Spice Classic, and Advocare Invitational) is an annual college basketball tournament played over Thanksgiving weekend, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. The ina ...

and the SEC Tournament as he helped the Razorbacks to their third consecutive winning season and their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance, losing to the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ''Trojans'', the women's athletic teams are referred ...

in the first round. Weems played his senior season with a new head coach, John Pelphrey, and was named first team All- SEC after averaging 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Weems led the Razorbacks to their first NCAA tournament win in nine years with an upset victory of

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

. He finished the game with 31 points, out-dueling the much-heralded freshman

Eric Gordon Eric Ambrose Gordon Jr. (born December 25, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In high school, he was named "Mr. Basketball" of Indiana during his senior yea ...

, who was held to only eight points. After his team lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament, Weems later won the

State Farm State Farm Insurance is a large group of mutual insurance companies throughout the United States with corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois. Overview State Farm is the largest property and casualty insurance provider, and the lar ...

College

Slam Dunk A slam dunk, also simply known as dunk, is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air, controls the ball above the horizontal plane of the rim, and scores by shoving the ball directly through the basket with one ...

Championship held at the Final Four.

Professional career

NBA

NBA draft

In April 2008, Weems accepted an invitation to participate in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, but later decided not to attend. Instead, Weems worked out with several teams: the Memphis Grizzlies,

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

, Chicago Bulls,

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, and Portland Trail Blazers, receiving increased interest because of his high scores in speed and agility drills. Weems was selected with the 39th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Bulls, but he was traded almost immediately to the

for a 2009 second-round pick in a three-team trade involving the Portland Trail Blazers.

NBA Development League

On December 10, 2008, the Nuggets, for whom he had yet to play because of a surgery for

sports hernia Athletic pubalgia, also called sports hernia, core injury, hockey hernia, hockey groin, Gilmore's groin, or groin disruption is a medical condition of the pubic joint affecting athletes. It is a syndrome characterized by chronic groin pain in a ...

and then a groin strain, assigned Weems to their NBA Development League affiliate the

Colorado 14ers Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of th ...

. Weems averaged 18.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 10 games for the 14ers. On December 14, Weems led the 14ers with 20 points, including 9-of-14 field goals, in a 129–108 home win over the Reno Bighorns. Other notable Weems performances include a team-leading 24 points in a thrilling 99–98 loss to Sioux Falls on December 17, a 26-point effort in a 111–104 loss to the Tulsa 66ers on December 20, 25 points in a 99–95 victory over the 66ers on December 23, and 24 points and 10 rebounds in a 131–120 14ers win over

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Cens ...

on December 30. On January 6, 2009, Weems was recalled by the Denver Nuggets.

Denver Nuggets

Weems scored 4 points in his NBA regular season debut with the Nuggets on January 17, 2009, when he substituted for Anthony Carter with 3:31 remaining in a 106–88 loss to Orlando. On July 31, 2009, he was traded along with

Walter Sharpe Walter L. Sharpe III (born July 18, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who plays for Yulon Luxgen Dinos of the Super Basketball League (SBL). Early career Sharpe attended Parker High School in Birmingham, Alabama. Considered ...

and cash considerations to 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 196 ...

for Malik Allen.

Toronto Raptors

On August 18, 2009, Weems was traded by the Bucks to the Toronto Raptors along with

Amir Johnson Amir Jalla Johnson (born May 1, 1987) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the NBA G League Ignite of the NBA G League. He has previously played for the Detroit Pistons, the team that selected Johnson in the second rou ...

in exchange for

Carlos Delfino Carlos Francisco Delfino (born August 29, 1982) is an Argentine-Italian professional basketball player for Victoria Libertas Pesaro of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He holds dual citizenship in both Italy and Argentina. Standing at , he ...

and

Roko Ukić Roko Leni Ukić (born December 5, 1984) is a Croatian professional basketball player currently playing for Split in the Croatian League and ABA League. Standing at , he mainly played at the point guard position, but could also play at the shoo ...

. On April 7, 2010, Weems was placed in the starting lineup and scored a then career-high 21 points to lead the Raptors, but the Raptors lost the game to the

. He went on to score a career-high 25 points on November 17, 2010, against the

Europe

Žalgiris Kaunas (2011–2012)

On July 8, 2011, Weems signed a one-year contract with the Lithuanian team Žalgiris Kaunas. His contract was terminated in March 2012, after he suffered a season-ending ankle injury. Weems later complained on social media saying that he had to go to U.S. to heal his sore ankle, after not receiving any medical care in Lithuania. Over 15 games in the EuroLeague, he averaged 15.5 points and 5 rebounds per game.

CSKA Moscow (2012–2015)

=2012–13 season

= On July 30, 2012, he signed a three-year contract with CSKA Moscow. His signing was largely seen as a replacement to former team leader Andrei Kirilenko. On October 18, 2012, he had a EuroLeague career-high 30 points in a 76–71 overtime win over Partizan Belgrade. In his first season with the team, in a roster loaded with big European names like Miloš Teodosić,

Nenad Krstić Nenad Krstić ( sr-cyr, Ненад Крстић, born July 25, 1983) is a Serbian basketball executive and former professional player. He currently serves as the vice president of the Basketball Federation of Serbia, in charge of the men's basket ...

Theo Papaloukas Theodoros Papaloukas (Greek: Θεόδωρος Παπαλουκάς; born May 8, 1977), commonly known as Theo Papaloukas or Thodoris Papaloukas, is a retired Greek professional basketball player. He was a four - time All-EuroLeague selection, a me ...

and

Victor Khryapa Victor Vladimirovich Khryapa (also trans. Viktor; russian: Виктор Владимирович Хряпа; born August 3, 1982) is a Russian former professional basketball player who spent the majority of his career playing for CSKA Moscow of t ...

, CSKA Moscow won 3rd place in the EuroLeague Final Four, after a 69–52 loss to

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a numbe ...

in the semi-final game. Weems was seen as one of the team leaders, a starting small forward who averaged 13.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists over 28 games in the EuroLeague. CSKA eventually won the VTB United League after defeating Lokomotiv Kuban, 3–1, in the final series.

=2013–14 season

= In the 2013–14 season, CSKA's roster didn't change much, and Weems was again one of the team leaders. On January 17, 2014, he had career-high 10 assists, along with 16 points, in 72–73 EuroLeague loss to Partizan Belgrade. In May 2014, Weems was named the All-EuroLeague First Team of the EuroLeague, for his performances over the season. Although his points per game slightly dropped to 12.2 in the EuroLeague, he improved his defensive play and generally had a bigger impact on the game itself. However, CSKA Moscow was yet again stopped in the semi-final game, this time to the eventual champion Maccabi Tel Aviv. Later in the season, CSKA won its third consecutive VTB United League championship by defeating

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət ), colloquially shortened to Nizhny, from the 13th to the 17th century Novgorod of the Lower Land, formerly known as Gork ...

, 3–0, in the final series. On July 4, 2014, Weems extended his contract with the club until 2017.

=2014–15 season

= In the 2014–15 season, CSKA Moscow advanced to the EuroLeague Final Four for the fourth straight season, after eliminating Panathinaikos for the second straight season in the

quarter-final A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

series, 3–1. However, in the semi-final game, despite being dubbed by media as an absolute favorite to advance, they once again lost to

. The final score was 70–68, after an Olympiacos comeback in fourth quarter, led by Vassilis Spanoulis. CSKA Moscow then won the third place after defeating Fenerbahçe, 86–80. Weems' third season saw a slight increase in statistics, as he averaged 13.1 points, 4 rebounds and 3.5 assists over 26 games played. CSKA Moscow finished the season by winning the VTB United League, after eliminating Khimki with 3–0 in the final series. On June 16, 2015, he parted ways with CSKA Moscow to return to the NBA. Over three seasons spent with CSKA, Weems played in 166 games, averaging 12.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3 assists per game in the EuroLeague and the VTB United League.

Return to the NBA

Phoenix Suns (2015–2016)

On July 17, 2015, Weems signed a two-year deal with the

. He made his debut for the Suns in the team's season opener against the Dallas Mavericks on October 28, recording 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in a 111–95 loss. On January 26, 2016, he scored a season-high 12 points in a loss to the

. On March 5, 2016, he was waived by the Suns after averaging 2.5 points, 1.3 assists, 1.1 rebounds and 11.7 minutes in 36 games.

Philadelphia 76ers (2016)

On March 7, 2016, Weems was claimed off waivers by the

. Weems struggled during his time with the 76ers, and after straining his right quadriceps on March 26 against the Portland Trail Blazers, he was waived by the team the next day.

Return overseas

Maccabi Tel Aviv (2016–2017)

On June 14, 2016, Weems signed a two-year contract with Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv. On January 30, 2017, Weems was released by the club after he failed to complete an anti-doping test.

Zhejiang Golden Bulls (2017–2018)

In July 2017, Weems signed with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association. Weems played 38 games for Zhejiang and averaged 31.7 points, 8 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.

Anadolu Efes (2018)

On February 24, 2018, Weems signed with the Turkish team

Anadolu Efes Anadolu Efes Biracılık ve Malt Sanayii A.Ş.''(lit. Anadolu Efes Brewery and Malt Industries)'' produces and markets beer and malt and non-alcoholic beverages in a wide geographical area comprising Turkey, Russia, the Commonwealth of Independ ...

for the rest of the season. On March 1, 2018, Weems made his debut in a 64–77 loss to Olimpia Milano, scoring 19 points, along with 6 rebounds and 2 assists.

Guangdong Southern Tigers (2018–present)

On October 8, 2018, Weems signed with the

Guangdong Southern Tigers Guangdong Hongyuan Southern Tigers () or Guangdong Southern Tigers, also known as Guangdong Dongguan Bank () for sponsorship reasons, are a Chinese professional basketball team owned by the Guangdong Winnerway (Hongyuan) Group. The team is one o ...

of the Chinese Basketball Association. With Guangdong, he won three consecutive CBA titles from 2019 to 2021, and was named Finals MVP in 2020 after averaging 34.7 points in a 2–1 series against Liaoning Flying Leopards. In January 2022, after the match between Liaoning Flying Leopards, Weems was involved in an altercation with Liaoning Flying Leopards player Han Dejun, which resulted in both players being ejected from the match, with Han being fined $31,440 and suspended for seven games, while Weems was fined $22,008 and suspended for five games. As a result of the incident, Weems was subjected to racial abuse by Liaoning Flying Leopards fans who kept shouting " nigger" and "get out of China" at him, as he was exiting the Guangdong Southern Tigers team bus along with the rest of the team. The Liaoning Flying Leopards fans' behaviour towards Weems was condemned by the Chinese Basketball Association and basketball player Jeremy Lin.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

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, 59 , , 28 , , 23.9 , , .444 , , .279 , , .766 , , 2.6 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .0 , , 9.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Phoenix , 36 , , 0 , , 11.7 , , .393 , , .406 , , .538 , , 1.1 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .0 , , 2.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, 7 , , 0 , , 11.1 , , .333 , , .222 , , .500 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 183 , , 47 , , 18.2 , , .465 , , .283 , , .702 , , 2.2 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , .2 , , 6.5 , -

EuroLeague

, - , align="left" , 2011–12 , align="left" , Žalgiris , 15 , , 15 , , 29.9 , , .474 , , .360 , , .686 , , 5.0 , , 1.3 , , .9 , , .2 , , 15.5 , , 12.7 , - , align="left" , 2012–13 , align="left" rowspan=3, CSKA Moscow , 28 , , 27 , , 28.8 , , .472 , , .385 , , .813 , , 2.9 , , 2.1 , , .8 , , .1 , , 13.7 , , 11.8 , - , align="left" , 2013–14 , 29 , , 27 , , 28.5 , , .442 , , .354 , , .754 , , 3.5 , , 3.7 , , .9 , , .2 , , 12.2 , , 12.4 , - , align="left" , 2014–15 , 26 , , 22 , , 26.9 , , .425 , , .371 , , .792 , , 4.0 , , 3.5 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 13.1 , , 11.8 , - , align="left" , 2016–17 , align="left" , Maccabi , 19 , , 16 , , 27.0 , , .509 , , .327 , , .703 , , 3.3 , , 3.4 , , .9 , , .1 , , 11.6 , , 11.1 , - , align="left" , 2017–18 , align="left" ,

, 6 , , 6 , , 30.4 , , .452 , , .318 , , .769 , , 3.5 , , 4.0 , , .7 , , .0 , , 15.5 , , 13.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 123 , , 113 , , 28.3 , , .459 , , .361 , , .757 , , 3.6 , , 3.0 , , .9 , , .2 , , 13.2 , , 12.0

Domestic leagues

Source
RealGM
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References

External links

Sonny Weems
at nba.com
Sonny Weems
at euroleague.net

at fiba.com

at vtb-league.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weems, Sonny 1986 births Living people African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Canada American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Lithuania American expatriate basketball people in Russia American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Anadolu Efes S.K. players Arkansas–Fort Smith Lions basketball players Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball players Basketball players from Arkansas BC Žalgiris players Chicago Bulls draft picks Colorado 14ers players Denver Nuggets players Guangdong Southern Tigers players Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. players PBC CSKA Moscow players People from West Memphis, Arkansas Philadelphia 76ers players Phoenix Suns players Point guards Shooting guards Small forwards Toronto Raptors players Zhejiang Golden Bulls players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people