Mensah-Bonsu with DKV Joventut. |
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| Position | Power forward |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Weight | 240 lb (110 kg) |
| Team | Beşiktaş Milangaz |
| Born | 7 September 1983 Tottenham, London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| College | George Washington |
| Draft | Undrafted, 2006 |
| Pro career | 2006–present |
| Career history | Fort Worth Flyers (2006–07) Dallas Mavericks (2007) Benetton Treviso (2007–08) CB Granada (2008) DKV Joventut (2008) Austin Toros (2009) San Antonio Spurs (2009) Toronto Raptors (2009, 2009–10) Houston Rockets (2009) CSKA Moscow (2010) New Orleans Hornets (2010-11) ASVEL Villeurbanne (2011) Beşiktaş Milangaz (2011- ) |
| Awards | 2003 BB&T Classic All-Tournament Team 2005 A-10 All Conference Second Team 2005 A-10 All-Championship Team 2006 A-10 All Conference First Team NBA D-League All Star Game MVP 2007 |
Nana Papa Yaw Dwene "Pops" Mensah-Bonsu (born 7 September 1983) is a British professional basketball player of Ghanaian descent.
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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.
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.
He returned to the NBA, where he played for the New Orleans Hornets, but was released in January 2011. On February 17, 2011, he signed a contract with the French team ASVEL Villeurbanne until the end of the season.[10]
In December 2011, Mensah-Bonsu signed with Beşiktaş Milangaz of Turkey.[11]
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.
Mensah-Bonsu was again part of the GB team in 2010 as they qualified for the Eurobasket 2011 with a 6-2 record. During qualification he led all Division A players with 13.5 rebounds per game, and also finished sixth in points (19.3), and blocks (1.3).[12]
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.[13]
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.[14]
Having been born and brought up in North London, England, Mensah-Bonsu is a big fan of Tottenham Hotspur.[15]
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 2010–11 | New Orleans | 7 | 0 | 5.0 | .333 | .000 | .000 | 1.6 | .3 | .0 | .0 | 0.3 |
| Career | 61 | 0 | 8.3 | .410 | .000 | .589 | 3.0 | .2 | .2 | .2 | 3.0 |
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