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 and center played ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). 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, due to Portland already having drafted Clyde Drexler just a year before. Early life Bowie was born on March 17, 1961, as the son of Ben Bowie and Cathy “Sammy” Bowie. His father was 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, who died at age 45, 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." High school career Bowie attended Lebanon High School in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. He played on its basketball team under Coach Chick Hess. Bowie described Hess, "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 All-American 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. “When I say this, I mean it with all my heart, from the Kentucky experience to all of my years in pro ball,