Pops Mensah-Bonsu
Template:Infobox Euroleague Player Nana Papa Yaw Dwene "Pops" Mensah-Bonsu (born 7 September 1983), is a British professional basketball player of Ghanaian descent. He is currently signed with CSKA Moscow.
Basketball career
Amateur career
After starting out as a junior at the English Basketball League club Hackney White Heat, Mensah-Bonsu moved to the USA. He spent his sophomore year of high school playing at the Hun School of Princeton in Princeton, New Jersey, then transferred to St. Augustine College Preparatory School in Richland, New Jersey. He majored in psychology at the George Washington University, where he played power forward and center. He was second team all-conference in 2004–05 and averaged around 15 points per game for his career. He was best known for explosive dunks and became a favorite of ESPN SportsCenter host Scott Van Pelt, who would often mention Mensah-Bonsu at the end of telecasts.
At George Washington, Mensah-Bonsu helped lead the Colonials to the 2005 NCAA Tournament, where they lost in the first round. The next season was more successful, with the team ending the regular season 26–1 and being ranked in the national top 10 for the first time in 50 years. However, he suffered a knee injury near the end of the regular season and he did not return until the 2006 NCAA Tournament, where the injury lessened his production. The injury probably led to Mensah-Bonsu not being drafted by an NBA team. GW lost to Duke in the second round of the NCAA tournament after defeating University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Pro career
Mensah-Bonsu initially signed a two-year contract with the Dallas Mavericks,[1] and played for the Fort Worth Flyers, the NBA D-League affiliate of the Mavericks. He made the D-League All Star Team and was MVP of the game, with 30 points and 7 rebounds.
Mensah-Bonsu was recalled to the Mavericks on 8 February 2007. He scored his first NBA points against the Atlanta Hawks.
For the 2007–08 season, he played with the Italian Serie A team Benetton Treviso, averaging 8.3 points and 9.2 rebounds, shooting 59% from the floor and 77% from the free-throw line.[2] During the following summer, there was much uncertainty whether he would return to the NBA or sign a contract in Spain, but he finally inked a one-year deal with the Spanish ACB team DKV Joventut.[3] He was released in December due to a shoulder injury, after averaging 18.5 points per game in 2 league matches.
In February 2009, Mensah-Bonsu began playing with the Austin Toros, the San Antonio Spurs NBA D-League affiliate.[4] In his eight games with the Toros, Mensah-Bonsu averaged 26.6 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. On 25 February, he signed a 10 day contract with the San Antonio Spurs.[5] On 4 March 2009 the Spurs released Mensah-Bonsu.[6]
In March 2009, the Toronto Raptors picked up Mensah-Bonsu, giving him a guaranteed contract until the end of the season. Pops made his debut with the Raptors the same day, against the Miami Heat, posting 4 points and 10 rebounds. He became a fan favorite with the Raptors.[7]
On 21 August 2009, Mensah-Bonsu verbally agreed to a deal to join the Houston Rockets for the 2009-10 season to provide frontcourt depth after the injury to Yao Ming. The signing was made official on 3 September 2009. On 13 November Mensah-Bonsu was released from his Houston Rockets contract, and on 17 November he re-signed with the Toronto Raptors after being picked up on waivers.[8] On January 5, 2010, he was released by the Raptors to make room for their returning injured reserves,[9] and signed with PBC CSKA Moscow.
British national team
Mensah-Bonsu was part of the Great Britain national basketball team that qualified for the Eurobasket 2009. During qualification he averaged 12.2 points, 10 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.
In 2009 Mensah-Bonsu joined the British squad for their first appearance in the Eurobasket Tournament. The team lost all three of their first round games but were competitive throughout including a very close game with current world champions Spain.
Personal life
In the Ghanaian language Twi, Mensah-Bonsu's name means King (Nana) Father (Papa) Thursday Born (Yaw) Three (Mensah) Whale (Bonsu). In several interviews Mensah-Bonsu has suggested that his family earned its surname when an ancestor slew a whale.[10]
Mensah-Bonsu has a number of nicknames, including "King Whale Killer" from his name's meaning and "Big Daddy," popularized by Toronto play-by-play announcer Matt Devlin and other commentators.[11]
Having been born and brought up in North London, England, Mensah-Bonsu is a big fan of Tottenham Hotspur.[12]
NBA career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | Dallas | 12 | 0 | 5.9 | .647 | .000 | .389 | 1.8 | .0 | .1 | .0 | 2.4 |
| 2008–09 | San Antonio | 3 | 0 | 6.7 | .714 | .000 | .714 | 3.3 | .0 | .3 | .3 | 5.0 |
| 2008–09 | Toronto | 19 | 0 | 13.8 | .354 | .000 | .683 | 5.4 | .3 | .4 | .2 | 5.1 |
| 2009–10 | Houston | 4 | 0 | 3.3 | .250 | .000 | .500 | 1.0 | .3 | .2 | .2 | 1.3 |
| 2009–10 | Toronto | 16 | 0 | 6.7 | .414 | .000 | .556 | 1.9 | .1 | .2 | .5 | 2.1 |
| Career | 54 | 0 | 8.8 | .412 | .000 | .589 | 3.1 | .2 | .3 | .3 | 3.3 |
References
- ^ "Mavs hop on Pops, sign forward Mensah-Bonsu". Retrieved 4 August 2006.
- ^ Benetton makes 'Pops' Mensah-Bonsu official Template:It icon
- ^ Mensah-Bonsu bets on DKV Joventut Template:Es icon
- ^ D-League bio
- ^ "Spurs Sign Pops Mensah-Bonsu". NBA.com. 25 February 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2009.
- ^ "Spurs Release Pops Mensah-Bonsu". NBA.com. 3 March 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2009.
- ^ "Raptors' fan favourite Mensah-Bonsu back with Toronto" Financial Post
- ^ "Mensah-Bonsu rejoins Raptors, Turkoglu out". USA Today. November 17, 2009. Retrieved on November 17, 2009.
- ^ "Raptors Release Forward Mensah-Bonsu". NBA.com. 5 January 2010.
- ^ George Washington back on the national scene, USAToday.com
- ^ HoopHeadsNorth
- ^ Tottenham Hotspur official site
External links
- 1983 births
- Living people
- Basketball players from New Jersey
- Benetton Treviso players
- Black British sportspeople
- British expatriate sportspeople in Canada
- British expatriate sportspeople in the United States
- British expatriates in Italy
- British expatriates in Spain
- British people of Ghanaian descent
- CB Granada players
- Centers (basketball)
- Dallas Mavericks players
- English basketball players
- English expatriates in Canada
- English expatriates in the United States
- Expatriate basketball people in Italy
- Expatriate basketball people in the United States
- George Washington Colonials men's basketball players
- Houston Rockets players
- Joventut Badalona players
- Power forwards (basketball)
- San Antonio Spurs players
- Toronto Raptors players
- Undrafted National Basketball Association players
- People from Tottenham
- Basketball players
- 21st-century English people