Matthew (Matt) Robert Bonner (born April 5, 1980 in
Concord, New Hampshire) is an American professional
basketball player currently with the San Antonio
Spurs of the NBA.
Standing 6'10" at 240 lb, Bonner was drafted out of
the University of Florida by the Chicago Bulls in
the 2nd round of the 2003 NBA Draft and then traded
to the Toronto Raptors. While playing for the
Florida Gators, Bonner amassed 1,570 points 778
rebounds and 165 three pointers and finished his
career ranked in the top 10 in six categories.
Bonner graduated from Florida with a 3.96 GPA and
was named the Verizon Academic All-American of the
Year for the sport of basketball in both 2002 and
2003.
Toronto recognized the future 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.
Bonner signed with the Raptors during the 2004-05
NBA season, averaging 7.2 points per game whilst
playing all 82 contests. Matt received the nickname
"Red Rocket" during the same season due to the fact
that 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 of 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
favourite 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
Nesterovic 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
NBA Championship and Bonner received his
championship ring in a ceremony on October 30, 2007
prior to a game, that they won, 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.
