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'It was so terrible, and it's something I'll never, ever forget' - Paul Silas recalls the day his player Bobby Phills passed away in a tragic car crash

Originally posted on Basketball Network
By Jonas Panerio | Last updated Dec 8, 2024 6:21 AM ET

Paul Silas built his entire 16-year NBA career on toughness and grit. Despite being undersized at 6'7", Silas defied the odds and became a two-time All-Star, a five-time All-Defensive Team member, and, most importantly, a three-time champion with Boston and Seattle. However, all the toughness in the world couldn't prepare Silas for the tragic event that occurred on January 12, 2000.

Paul was coaching the Charlotte Hornets at the time, a team that was led by rookie ace Baron Davis and veterans Anthony Mason and Derrick Coleman. The team also had a 6'5" wingman, Bobby Phills, who made a name for himself as one of the league's most tenacious defenders.

On that day, the Hornets were going to face Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. After the morning shootaround, Phills briefly spoke to Silas before heading home in his 1997 Porsche 993 Cabriolet.

On his way away from the Charlotte Coliseum, Bobby encountered his teammate David Wesley on the road. Not long after that, the two sped up, with eyewitnesses sharing they must have been going at speeds more than 100 miles per hour on West Tyvola Road. Phills later lost control of his car and headed straight towards oncoming traffic, where it smashed into an Oldsmobile Cutlass driven by Robert Woolard Jr. He was declared dead at the scene.

18 years ago today, the Hornets tragically lost one of our own. With his jersey proudly displayed in the rafters of the Hive, we will never forget Bobby Phills. #BuzzCity pic.twitter.com/mYQ5rYdWWd
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) January 12, 2018

A call he wished would never arrive

Silas said he had spoken to Bobby a few times before about his penchant for fast cars and speeding, but he never thought it would end like this.

"Bobby, he was a fast driver. One time, after a game, we were driving home. I had gone out before him, and he was passing me, and he was going close to 100 miles an hour." Silas shared.

Paul said he approached Phills at practice the next day and reminded him of the dangers of speeding.

"Bobby, you can't do that. You've got two beautiful kids. You've got a great wife. You can't drive that fast," Silas recalled of his talk with the gutsy wingman who once held the great MJ to 18-of-53 shooting in two straight games.

Unfortunately, Phills didn't heed Paul's words, and on that fateful day, the worst thing happened.

"Him and David Wesley, they were driving at each other, just zooming. And that's what happened. It just wasn't right … Even now, when I drive down the way that Bobby passed away, it just stays with me. It was so terrible, and it's something I'll never, ever forget," Silas stated.

Personally checked on Bobby

A few minutes after after he talked to Phills, Silas' phone rang. It was Wesley on the other end telling him that he and Bobby had gotten into an accident. Paul didn't think much of it at first until he and several members of the Hornets' coaching staff arrived at Tyvola.

Silas glimpsed at Phills' wreckage and discovered that Bobby was gone.

"I knew that he had passed away. It was one of the worst things that I had ever been through in my life," he exclaimed.

It would take a while for the Hornets to get things back to normal following the loss of their comrade. With Eddie Jones and Mason leading the way, Charlotte made it to the NBA Playoffs but lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round.

This article first appeared on Basketball Network and was syndicated with permission.

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