Ron Bonham

Ronald D. Bonham (May 31, 1942 – April 16, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. He won two NBA championships with the Boston Celtics and a college national title at the University of Cincinnati.

Early life Born May 31, 1942, in Muncie, he was the only child of Russell D. and Carmen I. (Neel) Bonham.

A swingman, Bonham attended Muncie Central High School in Muncie, Indiana, where he earned the nickname "The Muncie Mortar" and "The Blond Bomber." As a senior, he averaged 28 points per game and earned Indiana's "Mr. Basketball" award as he led his team to the state runner-up spot. He was twice named first-team All-Indiana and was named MVP of both Indiana vs. Kentucky all-star games as a senior.

He graduated in 1960 as Muncie Central's all-time leading scorer with 2,023 points, which also made him the all-time scorer for the state of Indiana.

College career Bonham narrowed his college choices to Purdue University and the University of Cincinnati. He attended Purdue for three days, but realizing he would be required to enroll in ROTC for two years and would not be able to have a car on campus as a freshman, he returned home

As a sophomore under coach Ed Jucker, Bonham averaged 14.3 points per game, led the Bearcats with a .760 free throw percentage and was named All-Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). He did, however, win a championship ring as the Celtics went 62–18 and won the NBA title with a five-game series victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

In 1965–66, his playing time decreased to eight minutes per game in 39 games as he averaged 5.2 and 0.9 rebounds per game for the 54–26 Celtics. The Celtics, however, won the NBA title again, this time in seven games over the Lakers. On June 30, 2012, upon his retirement, the City of Muncie declared it "Ron Bonham Day" for all he has accomplished and meant to the area.

In 1986, he was inducted into the University of Cincinnati Athletics Hall of Fame. In 1991, he was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

Career statistics

NBA/ABA Source

Regular season Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG PPG

Playoffs Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG PPG