BID NOW ON THIS EXCITING 8X10 AUTOGRAPHED PHOTO OF BRUCE BOWEN FROM THE SAN ANTONIO SPURS.

Bruce Bowen Jr. (born June 14, 1971) is an American professional basketball player. The 6'7", 200 lb (91 kg). Bowen plays small forward for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is an alumnus of Edison High School^[1] and Cal State Fullerton and also a former member of the NBA's Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers and the CBA's Rockford Lightning, also having played abroad in France. Regarded as one of the best defenders in the NBA, Bowen has been elected eight times to the NBA All-Defensive First and Second Teams, and was a member of the Spurs teams that won the NBA championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007.^[2] In private life, he is an ambassador for raising child obesity awareness.

In the 2001-02 NBA season, Bowen was signed by the San Antonio Spurs. He joined a championship-caliber team, led by veteran Hall-of-Fame center David Robinson, young superstar power forward Tim Duncan, and complemented by talented role players like Steve Smith, Malik Rose, Antonio Daniels and point guards Terry Porter and Tony Parker. Bowen established himself as a starter, beginning in 59 of his 59 regular-season games and in all 10 Spurs playoffs games, where they eventually succumbed to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2002 NBA Playoffs. For his feats, Bowen earned himself his second All-Defensive Second Team nomination.^[4]

In the next season, Bowen started in all 82 regular season games for the second time in his career and averaged 7.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 31.3 minutes per game. Again, he was voted into the All-Defensive Second Team and was member of the Spurs team which won the 2003 NBA Finals. At age 31, the one-time journeyman Bowen had won his first championship ring as a starter.^[4] In the following three seasons, Bowen established a reputation as the best perimeter defender in the NBA, earning three straight All-Defensive First Team elections and ending as runner-up in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award votings twice, losing to post defender Ben Wallace.^[6][7]

Bowen was a member of the Spurs squad which was defeated 4–2 by the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semi-Finals of the 2004 NBA Playoffs, but Bowen and the Spurs bounced back and won the NBA title in 2005. The Spurs could not win back-to-back titles however, and bowed out 4–3 in a grueling seven-game series against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Playoffs. As of 2007, Bowen remains a valuable role player on the Spurs, having started in every Spurs regular season and playoff game since he became a starter in 2001.^[2] In that season, he finished as the runner-up behind Marcus Camby for the league's defensive player of the year award.^[8] His defensive contributions also ensured that the Spurs won its fourth championship in the 2007 NBA Finals.^[8]