Matt Bonner

No. 15 – San Antonio Spurs
Power forward / Center
Personal information
Born	(1980-04-05) April 5, 1980 (age 32) Concord, New Hampshire
Nationality	American
High school	Concord High School
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
College	Florida (1999–2003)
NBA Draft	2003 / Round: 2 / Pick: 45th overall
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Pro career	2003–present
League	NBA
Career history
2003–2004	Pallacanestro Messina (Italy)
2004–2006	Toronto Raptors
2006–present	San Antonio Spurs
Career highlights and awards
NBA Champion (2007) NBA three-point shooting champion (2011) 2× NCAA All-America AP Honorable Mention (2002–2003) All-SEC First Team (2003) All-SEC Second Team (2002) 2× Verizon Academic All-American (2002–2003)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Matthew Robert Bonner (born April 5, 1980) is an American professional basketball player with the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bonner played college basketball for the University of Florida, and was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft. In addition to the San Antonio Spurs, he has also previously played for the Toronto Raptors.

Early years[link]

Matt Bonner was born in Concord, New Hampshire in 1980. He attended Concord High School, where he played for the Concord Crimson Tide high school basketball team, helping the Crimson Tide win three state championships. Due to the strong support by his father, a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier, and his mother, an elementary school teacher in Concord, Matt graduated at the top of his class in academics.^[1]

Matt has two younger siblings, Luke and Becky. Matt's brother, Luke Bonner, attended the University of Massachusetts and played basketball there. He then played for the Austin Toros of the NBA D-League,^[2] and has also played for Klaipėda Neptunas in Lithuania.

College career[link]

Bonner received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Billy Donovan's Florida Gators basketball team from 1999 to 2003. In his four seasons playing for the Florida Gators, Bonner amassed 1,570 points, 778 rebounds and 165 three-point field goals, and finished his career ranked in the top 10 in six categories.

Bonner graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree and a 3.96 grade point average (GPA), and was named the Verizon Academic All-American of the Year for the sport of basketball in both 2002 and 2003.^[3][4]

International career[link]

Standing 6'10" at 240 pounds, Bonner was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft, and then traded to the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors recognized the potential in Bonner but did not have a roster position available. Bonner was asked to spend a year in Europe honing his skills with a verbal promise to give him a shot at making the team in 2004.

After signing with Sicilia Messina of the Italian league based in Messina, Sicily, 2003 proved to be a harrowing year for Bonner. Bonner survived a 104.5 degree Fahrenheit fever brought on by a bout of salmonella (treated by the team dentist) most likely caused by a lack of running hot water in his apartment. Sicilia had filed for bankruptcy in the middle of the season and had stopped paying its players. Bonner's heat and electricity were shut off and he was given two eviction notices. Despite half the team leaving, Bonner stuck it out and finished the year averaging 19.2 points and 9.3 rebounds.^[5]

NBA career[link]

Bonner signing autographs during his Raptors days

Bonner signed with the Raptors before the 2004–05 NBA season, averaging 7.2 points per game and played in all 82 of the Raptors' games. Matt received the nickname "Red Rocket" during the same season because he has red hair and was constantly sighted on the public transit in Toronto, the TTC, whose streetcars are red and slogan is 'Ride the Rocket'.

Matt Bonner's first prominent moment as a Raptor occurred on December 2004 during an exciting game at the Air Canada Centre. Extending for a rebound, he knocked all-star Kevin Garnett from behind, sending him sprawling to the ground prompting the two players to get into a heated exchange. The crowd chanted "Bonner, Bonner" as he was ejected from the game. This immediately established Matt as a fan favorite with Raptors fans rallying behind Bonner.

In the 2005–06 season Bonner played 78 games averaging 7.5 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game and shot 44.8% from the field. He ranked 14th in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage, and was one of the first players the Raptors looked to for three-point shots.

On June 21, 2006, Bonner was traded with Eric Williams and a second round pick in the 2006 NBA Draft to the San Antonio Spurs for Radoslav Nesterović and cash considerations.

While with the Spurs in the 2006–07 season, Bonner played in 56 games averaging 4.9 points per game in 11.7 minutes per game. The team went on to win the league championship and Bonner received his championship ring in a ceremony on October 30, 2007 prior to a game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

On December 11, 2007, Bonner registered career highs of 25 points and 17 rebounds in a loss to the Golden State Warriors.^[6]

He led the league in 3-point percentage in the 2010-11 season, shooting .457% from the field.^[7]

Personal[link]

Bonner never received less than an "A" as final grade in any class throughout his academic career, until he received a "C" on a chemistry exam in college, which led to a final grade of a "B".^[8] In 2008, Bonner signed with New Balance to produce his own basketball shoe.^[9]

Bonner, whose wife Nadia^[10] is from Toronto and who has a grandfather from Newfoundland, applied for Canadian citizenship in February 2009 and has expressed interest in playing for the Canadian national team.^[11] Bonner and his wife have a daughter, Evangeline-Vesper Lynne Bonner (born on June 21, 2009).^[12]

Bonner's younger brother, Luke, is a professional basketball player as well. The two have a good relationship with each other and Luke also served as the best man in Matt's wedding.^[13]

Awards[link]

• 2002–03 Honorable Mention All-American
• 2002–03 Verizon Academic All-American of the Year
• 2002–03 All-SEC First Team by Associated Press
• 2002–03 All-SEC First Team by Coaches
• 2002–03 SEC Leader In Three-Point Shooting Percentage(.474)
• 2002–03 All-SEC Academic pick
• 2001–02 Honorable Mention All-American
• 2001–02 Verizon Academic All-American of the Year
• 2001–02 All-SEC Second Team
• 2001–02 All-SEC Academic pick
• 2000–01 All-SEC Third Team
• 2000–01 All-SEC Academic pick
• 1998–99 NHIAA Champions – Concord HS
• 1997–98 NHIAA Champions – Concord HS
• 1996–97 NHIAA Champions – Concord HS

NBA career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]

Playoffs[link]

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	College basketball portal

• Florida Gators
• List of Florida Gators basketball players
• List of University of Florida alumni

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Matt Bonner

• Matt Bonner at NBA.com