Reeves Nelson
Sophaur One | |
|---|---|
| Born | Reeves Bruce Nelson September 18, 1991 United States |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player (former) |
| Years active | 2009–2015 |
| Known for | College basketball at UCLA, playing professionally in multiple countries |
Sophaur One (originally named Reeves Bruce Nelson; born September 18, 1991) is a former professional basketball athlete from the United States. He competed in college basketball representing the UCLA Bruins between 2009 and 2011, until his removal from the squad.[1][2] Nelson also took his talents to professional leagues in Mexico and Belgium.
His professional journey included a short tenure with Žalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania's top basketball division, the Lithuanian Basketball League, but he was released after five weeks. Nelson entered the 2012 NBA draft but was not selected. Following this, he participated in a pre-season camp with the Los Angeles Lakers and later played in the NBA Development League for both the Los Angeles D-Fenders and Delaware 87ers.
College career
After completing his education at Modesto Christian High School in California,[3] Nelson committed to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). ESPN.com characterized him as the "prototypical [UCLA coach] Ben Howland player." He was part of UCLA's 2009 recruiting class, which included athletes such as Tyler Honeycutt.[4]
During the 2010–11 season, Nelson was UCLA’s leading scorer with an average of 13.9 points per game and also led in rebounding with 9.1 per game, earning first team distinction on the All-Pac-10 roster. However, his junior season ended prematurely after six games due to disciplinary problems, including tardiness to meetings and missing a team flight, resulting in suspension and eventual dismissal under coach Ben Howland.[5]
A February 2012 feature in Sports Illustrated portrayed Nelson as a disruptive figure who occasionally harmed teammates on purpose and criticized coach Howland for insufficient disciplinary action.[6][7] In response, Nelson filed a $20 million defamation suit against the parent company of Sports Illustrated in May 2012; this lawsuit was dismissed in October 2012 based on free speech protections.[8]
Professional career
Nelson inked a one-year contract with an option for a second year on December 23, 2011, joining Lithuanian club Žalgiris Kaunas. After participating in six games, he was released on January 31, 2012. He declared for the 2012 NBA draft in May that year.
Although undrafted in 2012, Nelson took part in the Los Angeles Lakers’ Summer League roster and officially signed with them on September 5, 2012. Nonetheless, he was waived by October 20, 2012.
On March 29, 2013, Nelson signed with the Los Angeles D-Fenders. Later that year, on August 29, his rights were obtained by the Delaware 87ers during the NBA Development League Expansion Draft. He joined Delaware’s roster on December 1, 2013, but was released shortly after on January 10, 2014.
In April 2014, Nelson signed with Fuerza Guinda de Nogales competing in Mexico’s CIBACOPA league for the remainder of that season before departing after playing fifteen games.
On June 24, 2014, he agreed to terms with Belgian outfit Kangoeroes Basket Willebroek for the upcoming 2014–15 campaign. After four appearances averaging 15.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, he was waived on November 14. Subsequently, on January 14, 2015, Nelson joined Israeli team Maccabi Raanana, featuring in two contests prior to release. On February 24, he signed with Greek club Panelefsiniakos B.C., but was let go without playing any official games due to underwhelming performance during training sessions.
Career statistics
- College performance
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| UCLA | 28 || 14 || 23.4 || .647 || — || .521 || 5.7 || .4 || .7 || .7 || 11.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"| UCLA | 34 || 33 || 31.4 || .567 || .190 || .620 || 9.1 || 1.6 || .4 || .4 || 13.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2011–12 | style="text-align:left;"| UCLA | 6 || 1 || 19.3 || .400 || .429 || .429 || 4.5 || 1.3 || .5 || .7 || 5.7 |-class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan=2| Total | 68 || 48 || 26.7 || .584 || .250 || .574 || 7.3 || 1.1 || .5 || .6 || 12.1
Personal life
In January 2016, Reeves submitted a request to legally change his name to Sophaur One, which received approval by April of the same year.
External links
- NBA D-League Profile
- UCLA bio at UCLABruins.com