Matt Bonner (1999–2003) – Center/Power Forward
Matt Bonner was a guy who knew his role and played it well on some great teams — both at Florida and in the NBA. Playing alongside Udonis Haslem, he was part of a formidable Florida team that catapulted the Gators into the national spotlight at the end of the 1990s.
Bonner was born in Concord, N.H., where he led the Concord High School basketball team to three state championships while also graduating as valedictorian of his class in 1999. He accepted an athletic scholarship under Billy Donovan at UF, where he played all four years of his collegiate eligibility.
Bonner served strictly in a reserve role his freshman year, appearing in 36 games but only playing an average of 13.5 minutes on a team that made it to the NCAA Championship Game. His production jumped his sophomore season, as he started just more than half of the games he played averaging 13.3 points along with 7.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He shot 38.1 percent mark from beyond the arc — the second-best during his time in Gainesville.
The “Red Rocket’s” production peaked his junior campaign, averaging a collegiate career-high 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game; he also averaged 1.5 assists per game in each of his last three years at Florida. Though his stat line slightly slipped in his senior season, he shot a blistering 47.4 percent from three-point range on just under two attempts per game.
Over the course of his UF tenure, Bonner scored 1,570 points — including 165 three-pointers — while grabbing 778 rebounds. He was a first-team All-SEC selection and an AP honorable mention All-American as a senior in 2003, and also excelled in the classroom, winning Academic All-American of the Year for basketball in both 2002 and 2003.
The Chicago Bulls selected Bonner in the second round with the 45th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft but quickly traded him to the Toronto Raptors, who asked the former Gator to play overseas in lieu of an open roster spot. After playing a season with Sicilia Messina of the Italian league, Bonner returned to Toronto and signed a one-year contract in accordance with the agreement that sent him to Europe.
Bonner started all 82 games of his rookie season in 2004-05— the only Raptors rookie to ever achieve the feat — while averaging 7.2 points and 3.5 rebounds; he then resigned with the team on a two-year deal. However, after the first season of the contract, he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs where he would finish his career and experience NBA immortality alongside Tim Duncan and company.
“Red Mamba’s” best year in the Alamo City came in 2008-09 when he averaged 8.2 points per game while starting 67 out of 81 games played — both career-highs. Bonner also had a second peak in 2010-11 when he averaged 7.1 points a game and led the league in three-point percentage with a 45.7 mark, making 105 of 230 attempts.
Over his 12 seasons in the NBA, Bonner averaged 5.8 points and three rebounds a game while shooting 41.4 percent from beyond the arc. He won two NBA championships with the Spurs in 2007 and 2014 while also contributing to several deep playoff runs in San Antonio.
Since his retirement from professional basketball in 2017, Bonner and his brother Luke have run a nonprofit organization called the Rock On Foundation that “serves to increase community artistic and athletic opportunities.”
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