Sam Bowie

Samuel Paul Bowie (born March 17, 1961) is an American former 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 7ft 1in and 235 lb center played ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Bowie was born on March 17, 1961, as the son of Ben Bowie and Cathy "Sammy" Bowie.

His father was 6ft 10in 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, after he died, 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."

Bowie attended Lebanon High School in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

He played on its basketball team under Coach Chick Hess.

Bowie, as Hess described, "He's a father. He's responsible. He's got a head on his shoulder. He just doesn't have two legs that are serving him well. He adjusted to the big-time world. He grew up with blue-collar people who knew what it was like to work for a living. We're all proud of him. He got what he could out of playing pro sports."

A star player, Bowie was heavily recruited.

He averaged over 28 points and 18 rebounds per game, and was a McDonald's and Parade All-American.

As a junior, he led the Cedars to the state finals, where they lost by a point to Schenley High School of Pittsburgh.

Bowie was named national player of the year in 1979.

He received the honor over Harrisonburg, Virginia's Ralph Sampson, another highly recruited center.

Sampson and Bowie played in the annual Capital Classic all-star game, which was dubbed the "Battle of the Giants" Played at the Capital Centre, the game featured the best players in the Washington, D.C. area playing against an all-star squad composed of players from across the United States.

In February, 1979 a Sports Illustrated magazine article feature focused on Bowie, Sampson and Steve Stipanovich as the best high school centers.

Bowie played in the 1979 McDonald's All-American Game.

The memorable rosters included: Antoine Carr, Quintin Dailey, Sidney Green, Clark Kellogg, Greg Kite, Sidney Lowe, John Paxson, Ralph Sampson, Byron Scott, Steve Stipanovich, Isiah Thomas, Dereck Whittenburg, Dominique Wilkins and James Worthy.

Bowie signed to play for the University of Kentucky, under Coach Joe B. Hall, in 1979.

As a freshman during the 1979–80 season at Kentucky, Bowie averaged 6.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.

Kentucky finished 29–6 and advanced to the 1980 NCAA tournament.

Bowie had 13 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks in Kentucky's 97–78 victory over Florida State.

He played nine minutes, fouling out with 2 points and 3 rebounds in a 55–54 loss to Duke.

Bowie's sophomore season saw him average 17.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game.

He was named a third-team NCAA Basketball All-American by the Associated Press.

After the 1980–1981 season, a stress fracture in his left tibia was discovered, the injury caused Bowie to miss the entire 1981–82 season.

In 1981, he set, and now shares, the Kentucky record for most blocked shots in a game, with nine against St. John's.

However, Bowie began sustaining injuries that would plague the remainder of his basketball career.

In the third-to-last game of his sophomore season against Vanderbilt, Bowie went up for a dunk but came down off balance.

He landed with most of his weight on his left leg, saying that he felt pain but initially tried to play through it.

Kentucky qualified for the 48-team 1981 NCAA tournament as the #2 seed in the Mideast Region, with a first-round bye.

In the Wildcats' first game of the tournament, against #7 seed Alabama-Birmingham, Bowie fouled out, playing 21 minutes, as Kentucky was eliminated by UAB 69–62.

The stress fracture did not heal completely and Bowie sat out the entire 1982–83 season as well.

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 Michael Jordan.

"When I say this, I mean it with all my heart, from the Kentucky experience to all of my years in pro ball, when I reminisce I go back to my Lebanon Cedar days," said Bowie in 2018.

"I just wish we could've won that state championship game. Fifty-one to fifty, we were so close."