Sam Bowie

At 63 years old, Sam Bowie has this physical status:

Samuel Paul Bowie (born March 17, 1961) is a former American professional basketball 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 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) and 235 lb (107 kg) center played ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Projected as a solid first rounder in the 1984 NBA draft, Bowie was chosen by the Portland Trail Blazers as the second selection, ahead of Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, due to Portland already having drafted Clyde Drexler 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 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 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. 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."

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 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.

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High school career

Bowie attended Lebanon High School in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, before he died. Coach Chick Hess used to play basketball for the Edinburgh University. "He's a father," Bowie said of Hess. He's innocent. He has a head on his shoulder. He just doesn't have two legs that are serving him well. He adapted to the big-time world. He grew up with a group of blue-collar people who knew what it was like to work for a living. We're all proud of him. He wanted to get out of playing pro sports, which he did not have to do."

Bowie, a well-known actor, was highly recruited. He averaged over 28 points and 18 rebounds per game, and was a McDonald's All-American and Parade All-American. He led the Cedars to the state finals as a junior, although they lost by a point to Schenley High School of Pittsburgh. When I reminisce I go back to my Lebanon Cedar days, I mean it with all my heart, from the Kentucky experience to all of my years in pro ball." "I just wish we'd won the state championship game." We were so close, from fifty-one to fifty," the narrator said.

In 1979, Bowie was named National Player of the Year. Ralph Sampson of Harrisonburg, Virginia, was given the award for another highly recruited center. Sampson and Bowie competed in the annual Capital Classic all-star tournament, which was dubbed the "Battle of the Giants" at the Capital Centre in Washington, D.C., against an all-star team made up of players from around the country.

A Sports Illustrated magazine article in February 1979 ranked Bowie, Sampson, and Steve Stipanovich as the top high school centers.

Bowie was a member of the McDonald's All-American Game in 1979. Antoine Carr, Quintin Dailey, Clark Green, Clark Kellogg, Clark Kellogg, Clark Kellogg, John Paxson, John Paxson, John Paxson, Ralph Sampson, Ralph Sampson, Byron Scott, Richard Sampson, Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, and James Worthy were among the memorable rosters.

College career (1979–1984)

Bowie decided to play for the University of Kentucky under Coach Joe B. In 1979, Hall was born in Hall.

Bowie averaged 12.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game as a freshman during the 1979-80 season at Kentucky. Kentucky finished 29–6 and qualified to the 1980 NCAA tournament. In Kentucky's 97-78 victory over Florida State, Bowie had 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks. In a 55–54 loss to Duke, he played nine minutes, fouling out with 2 points and 3 rebounds.

Bowie's sophomore season saw him score 17.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game. The Associated Press named him as a third-team NCAA Basketball All-American. With nine against St. John's in 1981, he set and now holds the Kentucky record for most blocked shots in a game.

However, Bowie started to suffer with injuries that would continue to haunt him for the remainder of his basketball career. Bowie went up for a dunk in the third game of his sophomore season against Vanderbilt, but came down off balance. He lost the majority of his body on his left leg, citing that he felt pain but decided to play through it. With a first-round bye, Kentucky qualified for the 1981 NCAA tournament as the #2 seed in the Mideast Region. Kentucky was defeated 69-62 in the Wildcats' first game of the tournament against #7 seed Alabama-Birmingham, Bowie fouled out, playing 21 minutes.

Bowie missed the entire 1981–82 season after suffering a stress fracture in his left tibia. The stress fracture did not heal completely, although Bowie sat out the entire 1982–83 season as well. Doctors first suspected the leg pains were due to shin splints, but new X-rays revealed Bowie had a stress fracture while playing football in 1981. He had been cast for 44 weeks. However, the wound did not recover properly after removing the cast. With a bone graft, Bowie had to have it surgically repaired. Bowie applied for and was given an NCAA medical redshirt to allow him another year of college eligibility as his classmate did graduate.

Bowie performed for the 1983–84 season. He appeared in all 34 Kentucky games and averaged 10.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks, despite not having played in two years. He was selected to the second team of the Associated Press All-American team. He gained a spot on Sports Illustrated's cover during his senior season. Bowie, along with fellow "Twin Turpin" Melvin Turpin (as the Kentucky frontcourt duo was named), and Kenny Walker led Kentucky to the SEC championship, a top-three national ranking, and a record of 26–4 seasons.

The Wildcats defeated Brigham Young 93–68, in-state rival Louisville 72–67, and Illinois 54–51 to advance to the Final Four in Seattle in 1984. Bowie had 16 points and six rebounds against BYU, 8 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks against Louisville, as well as 11 points and 14 rebounds against Illinois.

Kentucky defeated eventual NCAA Champion Georgetown Georgetown University in the Semi-finals, with Patrick Ewing in the Final Four. At the half, Kentucky led, but Georgetown defeated the Wildcats 53–40, snapping Bowie's college career. In the loss, Bowie had ten points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks. With 0 blocks, Ewing had 8 points and 9 rebounds.

Bowie scored 13.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, and 1.4 assists on 69.9% shooting in 96 games at Kentucky. In five years, Bowie appeared in three seasons.

NBA career

Despite the Houston Rockets' tie for the NBA's lowest number, the Pacers had traded the top pick to the Portland Trail Blazers in 1981. The Rockets selected Houston center Hakee Olajuwon after beating the Blazers in a coin toss for first pick in 1984. The Blazers selected Bowie because they were unable to choose him while still searching for a center. The Chicago Bulls then drafted Michael Jordan, the North Carolina shooting guard, before selecting third.

Bowie seemed to make sense from the Blazers' perspective at the time. After Bill Walton, one of the team's first major actors, left in 1979, the team didn't have a strong big man since his first big man, Bill Walton. The NBA suspended the Blazers $250,000 (equivalent to $650,000 in 2018) for making inappropriate contact with Olajuwon and center Patrick Ewing shortly before the draft. Portland had drafted Clyde Drexler, Olajuwon's college teammate, a year ago. The Blazers had no need on paper for another shooting guard, despite having both Drexler and Jim Paxson. Also, ESPN named Bowie's injury-plague college career as the worst draft pick in North American professional sports in 2005, highlighting Bowie's injury-laden college career. Sports Illustrated named Bowie the best draft bust in NBA history last year, arguing that teams should draft for talent rather than need.

Bowie played in 76 games and averaged ten points and 8.6 rebounds, winning a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Team for his rookie season. However, Bowie's leg injuries resurfaced in his second season. During a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at The MECCA, Bowie and teammate Jerome Kersey became entangled, and as they landed, Bowie's left tibia fractured. He was carried off the floor on a stretcher.

"I have firmly believe that if I'm healthy, I will be one of the top centers in the league," Bowie said. "I'm going to tell people how awesome I am going to be one year."

Bowie has returned to action from the new season. Bowie went up for a jump hook shot in the Dallas Mavericks' season-opening game on the season. As he crept up, his legs buckled under him, and Bowie collapsed to the ground. His right tibia fractured during the season. Bowie likened the feeling of having his leg cut by an ax. Clyde Drexler, a Portland teammate, recalled, "It wasn't a pretty sight." "He went to make a move, collapsed, and threw the ball hard off the court." Parts of the bone sticking out of his leg, as well as how he was pounding the floor with his fist".

To hold it together, Bowie's second surgery used three screws embedded in the bone. However, two screws didn't hold, so another operation was required to insert three new screws.

Bowie came back to play once more. Bowie began experiencing severe pain in his right leg while walking on October 17, 1987, during pre-game warm-ups for a pre-season game with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Bowie was carried off the court by his coworkers and found with a hairline fractured his right tibia. Bowie underwent surgery in 1988 and found a graft of his hip bone and a metal plate with ten screws permanently attached to his right shin. He was out for two years as a result of the illness; he missed all of the 1987–88 seasons as well as the first 62 games of the 1988–89 season. Bowie played 63 games out of a possible 328 in his last four seasons in Portland, according to all.

Bowie wrote, "I have one big regret." "I wish I had been more patient and didn't come back as fast as I did the second year when I fractured my leg." You may have a feeling that Portland was disappointed. You're earning a lot of money, but you can't play. I'm not sure if it's guilt or regret. But I've never been one to say, 'Why me?' I think I should have an MD to back my name from all the school I've obtained from my own experience."

Bowie, who had averaged 10.5 points per game with the Trail Blazers, was traded with a draft pick to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Buck Williams on June 24, 1989.

Since he had no major injuries, Bowie's four seasons in New Jersey were his most fruitful. Bowie averaged 12.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, and never missed more than 20 games in a season. His best season with the Nets was his first with the Nets, where he averaged a double-double with 14.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Bowie also scored 15.0 points per game in 1991–92, a career-high 79 games, average 9.1 points per game and seven rebounds.

"My main aim is to play the game for the enjoyment of it and the love of it," Bowie said. "I'm glad I didn't get hurt again." I think too many people take their health for granted.

Bowie was traded from New Jersey to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1992-93. Bowie's leg injury problems resurfaced, but his leg pains resurfaced. In two seasons as a whole, Bowie appeared in 92 games, beginning in 17 of them. Despite the fact that Bowie's general manager, Jerry West, wanted him to play for the Lakers, Bowie decided not to play for the Lakers after the 1994–95 season. He wanted to pursue his passion and become involved in harness racing.

Bowie, Bill Walton, and Greg Oden are all frequently cited together. All three were centers, with Portland being drafted highly, but they were unable to reach their full potential due to career-changing injuries.

"You know, I go speak and visit hospitals a lot—and not to sound mushy," Bowie said, "but I've seen 7-, 8-, and 9-year-old children whose legs have been amputated as a result of bone cancer or a car accident." "Now is the time when it puts things into perspective." There's a kid who wishes he had a leg to break. I'm realizing how fortunate I am. I can't complain about the hand I've been dealt. Sure, I've had my fair share of surgeries and fractured bones, but these were not meant to be. I'm a Christian and I've always believed that tomorrow is predetermined and that you will never be put through more than you can handle."

Bowie's average was 10.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.78 blocks per game during his NBA career. He made 32% of his field goals (2,127 made of 4,702 attempted) and 30.2% of his three-point shots (32 made of 106 attempted).

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