Troy Bell
Troy Bell | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 10, 1980 |
| Occupation(s) | Professional basketball player, R&B music producer |
| Years active | 2003–2015 (basketball) |
| Known for | NBA career, European basketball leagues, Boston College basketball star |
Troy Delvon Bell (born November 10, 1980) is a former American professional basketball athlete who competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as well as multiple European leagues. In addition to his basketball career, Bell is also active as an R&B music producer. During his collegiate years at Boston College, he earned recognition as an All-American and became one of the most distinguished players in the school's history.
Early life
Bell's high school basketball tenure took place at the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Minnesota, where he was a four-year letterman and a finalist for Minnesota Mr. Basketball. In his senior season, he led the state in scoring with an average of 35.9 points per game, along with 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per contest. His outstanding performance earned him the Missota Conference Player of the Year award. Serving as team captain for two years, Bell concluded his high school career as Holy Angels’ all-time leading scorer with 2,491 points, placing him fourth on Minnesota's historical scoring list.
College career
At Boston College, Bell distinguished himself as a two-time Big East Conference Player of the Year and an All-American, sharing one of the Big East honors with Troy Murphy. He established a new program record by scoring 2,632 points, surpassing the previous mark held by Dana Barros. Bell joined an exclusive group of multiple Big East Players of the Year that includes Murphy, Richard Hamilton, Patrick Ewing, and Chris Mullin. In recognition of his impact, Boston College retired his number 2 jersey on January 25, 2020.
NBA
In the 2003 NBA draft, Bell was picked 16th overall by the Boston Celtics but was immediately traded to the Memphis Grizzlies on draft night. He participated in six games during the 2003–04 season. In October 2005, Bell signed with the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets as a free agent but was released shortly thereafter after playing only ten minutes in preseason action. His last NBA appearance occurred on March 26, 2004, during which he scored two points in four minutes on the court.
NBA Development League
In 2006, while preparing for a return to basketball, Bell explored boxing. That same year, he was selected 12th overall in the 2006 NBA D-League draft by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds. Later that year, following an injury-related roster change involving Jay Williams, Bell signed with the Austin Toros in December.
Europe
Following his initial NBA stint ending in 2004, Bell had brief engagements with Real Madrid in Spain and Frankfurt Skyliners in Germany over two seasons. For the 2007–08 campaign, he signed with Angelico Biella competing in Italy’s Serie A before transferring mid-season in March 2008 to Fastweb Casale Monferrato. He spent both the 2008–09 and 2009–10 seasons playing for Gruppo Triboldi Basket (also known as Vanoli Soresina/Vanoli Cremona) within Italy’s top professional league. In August 2010, Bell joined French side Entente Orléanaise.
In spring 2011, he played for Pallacanestro Reggiana (Trenkwalder Reggio Emilia). The following year, Bell signed with Pallacanestro Sant'Antimo competing in Italy’s second division. By February 2013, he returned to Trenkwalder Reggio Emilia under a contract extending through the remainder of the 2012–13 season with an option to continue into 2013–14.
Argentina
On December 24, 2015, Bell secured a contract with San Lorenzo, a team competing in Argentina's Liga Nacional de Básquet.