Clarence "Sonny" Weems (born July 8, 1986)[1] is an American professionalbasketball player for theJiaozuo Cultural Tourism of theNational Basketball League. He played college basketball for theUniversity of Arkansas and theUniversity of Arkansas at Fort Smith. He was selected by theChicago Bulls in the2008 NBA draft and shortly thereafter traded to theDenver Nuggets. He has since played for theToronto Raptors,Phoenix Suns andPhiladelphia 76ers in the NBA, and has had stints in Lithuania and Russia. At 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), Weems plays both theshooting guard andsmall forward positions. He was anAll-EuroLeague First Team selection in2014.
Weems was born withcleft feet, and as a child, he was told that he might not be able to walk or run. He stumbled as a youngster and endured painful childhood nights in corrective shoes before finding his stride and becoming a state long-jump and high-jump champion.[2][3]
Weems played basketball atWest Memphis High School where he was named first team all-state as a senior after leading his team to the 5A state championship, and was also a 6–10high jumper intrack and field. In Weems' high school career, West Memphis posted a record of 68–10. Weems averaged over 20 points per game as sophomore and junior, and 14.0 rebounds per game as a senior.
After high school, Weems attendedjunior college at theUniversity of Arkansas-Fort Smith, and was named 3rd team All-American, as well as all-conference and all-region as a freshman. Ranked as the number one junior college player in the nation byRivals.com andStreet & Smith's, Weems took UAFS to theNational Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Championship in 2006. Weems was named Honorable Mention All-American and was selected for the all-tournament team. In two seasons at UAFS, Weems led the team to a 62–7 record and back-to-backBi-State Conference Eastern Division titles.[4]
Weems signed with theArkansas Razorbacks as a junior, which was alsoStan Heath's final season as head coach. He averaged 11.8 points per game and was named to all-tournament teams at theOld Spice Classic and theSEC Tournament as he helped the Razorbacks to their third consecutive winning season and their second straightNCAA Tournament appearance, losing to theUSC Trojans in the first round.
Weems played his senior season with a new head coach,John Pelphrey, and was named first team All-SEC after averaging 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.[5] Weems led the Razorbacks to their first NCAA tournament win in nine years with an upset victory ofIndiana University. He finished the game with 31 points, out-dueling the much-heralded freshmanEric Gordon, who was held to only eight points.[6] After his team lost in the second round of theNCAA tournament, Weems later won theState Farm CollegeSlam Dunk Championship held at theFinal Four.[7]
In April 2008, Weems accepted an invitation to participate in thePortsmouth Invitational Tournament, but later decided not to attend.[8] Instead, Weems worked out with several teams: theMemphis Grizzlies,Orlando Magic,Chicago Bulls,Boston Celtics,Golden State Warriors,New Jersey Nets,New Orleans Hornets, andPortland Trail Blazers, receiving increased interest because of his high scores in speed and agility drills.[9] Weems was selected with the 39th overall pick in the2008 NBA draft by the Bulls, but he was traded almost immediately to theDenver Nuggets for a 2009 second-round pick in a three-team trade involving thePortland Trail Blazers.[10][11]
On December 10, 2008, the Nuggets, for whom he had yet to play because of a surgery forsports hernia and then agroin strain, assigned Weems to theirNBA Development League affiliate theColorado 14ers.[12][13]
Weems averaged 18.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 10 games for the 14ers.[14][15] On December 14, Weems led the 14ers with 20 points, including 9-of-14 field goals, in a 129–108 home win over theReno Bighorns.[16] Other notable Weems performances include a team-leading 24 points in a thrilling 99–98 loss toSioux Falls on December 17,[17] a 26-point effort in a 111–104 loss to theTulsa 66ers on December 20,[18] 25 points in a 99–95 victory over the 66ers on December 23,[19] and 24 points and 10 rebounds in a 131–120 14ers win overFort Wayne on December 30.[20] On January 6, 2009, Weems was recalled by the Denver Nuggets.[14]
Weems scored 4 points in his NBA regular season debut with the Nuggets on January 17, 2009, when he substituted forAnthony Carter with 3:31 remaining in a 106–88 loss toOrlando.[21]
On July 31, 2009, he was traded along withWalter Sharpe and cash considerations to theMilwaukee Bucks forMalik Allen.[22]
On August 18, 2009, Weems was traded by the Bucks to theToronto Raptors along withAmir Johnson in exchange forCarlos Delfino andRoko Ukić.[23] On April 7, 2010, Weems was placed in the starting lineup and scored a then career-high 21 points to lead the Raptors, but the Raptors lost the game to theBoston Celtics. He went on to score a career-high 25 points on November 17, 2010, against thePhiladelphia 76ers.
On July 8, 2011, Weems signed a one-year contract with the Lithuanian teamŽalgiris Kaunas.[24][25] His contract was terminated in March 2012, after he suffered a season-ending ankle injury.[26] Weems later complained on social media saying that he had to go to U.S. to heal his sore ankle, after not receiving any medical care in Lithuania.[27] Over 15 games in theEuroLeague, he averaged 15.5 points and 5 rebounds per game.[28]
On July 30, 2012, he signed a three-year contract withCSKA Moscow.[29][30] His signing was largely seen as a replacement to former team leaderAndrei Kirilenko.[31] On October 18, 2012, he had aEuroLeague career-high 30 points in a 76–71overtime win overPartizan Belgrade.[32] In his first season with the team, in a roster loaded with big European names likeMiloš Teodosić,Nenad Krstić,Theo Papaloukas andVictor Khryapa, CSKA Moscow won 3rd place in theEuroLeague Final Four, after a 69–52 loss toOlympiacos in the semi-final game.[33] Weems was seen as one of the team leaders, a starting small forward who averaged 13.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists over 28 games in the EuroLeague. CSKA eventually won theVTB United League after defeatingLokomotiv Kuban, 3–1, in the final series.
In the 2013–14 season, CSKA's roster didn't change much, and Weems was again one of the team leaders. On January 17, 2014, he had career-high 10 assists, along with 16 points, in 72–73 EuroLeague loss to Partizan Belgrade.[34] In May 2014, Weems was named theAll-EuroLeague First Team of theEuroLeague, for his performances over the season.[35] Although his points per game slightly dropped to 12.2 in the EuroLeague, he improved his defensive play and generally had a bigger impact on the game itself. However, CSKA Moscow was yet again stopped in the semi-final game, this time to the eventual championMaccabi Tel Aviv.[36] Later in the season, CSKA won its third consecutiveVTB United League championship by defeatingNizhny Novgorod, 3–0, in the final series.[37]
On July 4, 2014, Weems extended his contract with the club until 2017.[38]
In the 2014–15 season, CSKA Moscow advanced to theEuroLeague Final Four for the fourth straight season, after eliminatingPanathinaikos for the second straight season in thequarter-final series, 3–1.[39] However, in the semi-final game, despite being dubbed by media as an absolute favorite to advance, they once again lost toOlympiacos. The final score was 70–68, after an Olympiacos comeback in fourth quarter, led byVassilis Spanoulis.[40] CSKA Moscow then won the third place after defeatingFenerbahçe, 86–80.[41] Weems' third season saw a slight increase in statistics, as he averaged 13.1 points, 4 rebounds and 3.5 assists over 26 games played. CSKA Moscow finished the season by winning theVTB United League, after eliminatingKhimki with 3–0 in the final series.[42]
On June 16, 2015, he parted ways with CSKA Moscow to return to the NBA.[43] Over three seasons spent with CSKA, Weems played in 166 games, averaging 12.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3 assists per game in the EuroLeague and the VTB United League.
On July 17, 2015, Weems signed a two-year deal with thePhoenix Suns.[44][45] He made his debut for the Suns in the team's season opener against theDallas Mavericks on October 28, recording 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in a 111–95 loss.[46] On January 26, 2016, he scored a season-high 12 points in a loss to thePhiladelphia 76ers.[47] On March 5, 2016, he was waived by the Suns after averaging 2.5 points, 1.3 assists, 1.1 rebounds and 11.7 minutes in 36 games.[48]
On March 7, 2016, Weems was claimed off waivers by thePhiladelphia 76ers.[49] Weems struggled during his time with the 76ers, and after straining his right quadriceps on March 26 against thePortland Trail Blazers,[50] he was waived by the team the next day.[51]
On June 14, 2016, Weems signed a two-year contract with Israeli clubMaccabi Tel Aviv.[52]On January 30, 2017, Weems was released by the club after he failed to complete an anti-doping test.[53]
In July 2017, Weems signed with theZhejiang Golden Bulls of theChinese Basketball Association.[54] Weems played 38 games for Zhejiang and averaged 31.7 points, 8 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.
On February 24, 2018, Weems signed with the Turkish teamAnadolu Efes for the rest of the season.[55] On March 1, 2018, Weems made his debut in a 64–77 loss toOlimpia Milano, scoring 19 points, along with 6 rebounds and 2 assists.[56]
On October 8, 2018, Weems signed with theGuangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association.[57] With Guangdong, he won three consecutive CBA titles from 2019 to 2021, and was namedFinals MVP in2020 after averaging 34.7 points in a 2–1 series againstLiaoning Flying Leopards.
In January 2022, after the match between Liaoning Flying Leopards, Weems was involved in an altercation with Liaoning Flying Leopards playerHan Dejun, which resulted in both players being ejected from the match, with Han being fined $31,440 and suspended for seven games, while Weems was fined $22,008 and suspended for five games. As a result of the incident, Weems was subjected to racial abuse by Liaoning Flying Leopards fans who kept shouting "nigger" and "get out of China" at him, as he was exiting the Guangdong Southern Tigers team bus along with the rest of the team. The Liaoning Flying Leopards fans' behaviour towards Weems was condemned by theChinese Basketball Association and basketball playerJeremy Lin.[58][59]
In 2022, Weems signed a one-year deal withShanxi Loongs of the Chinese Basketball Association.[60]
On October 13, 2024, Weems signed withShenzhen Leopards of theChinese Basketball Association.[61]
In May 2020, Weems donated protective masks to the town ofWest Memphis, Arkansas to help fight againstCoronavirus. He wanted the elderly population and low-income families to have priority in the mask distribution as his grandmother works in the nursing home. The donation was made through this foundation called "Weems World."[62]
In June 2024, Weems led the Athletes Abroad Summit which was aimed at equipping American athletes for success in international sports. He was joined byKyle Hines andEdniesha Curry.[63]
| 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 | PIR | Performance index rating |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Denver | 12 | 0 | 4.6 | .320 | .000 | .375 | .3 | .3 | .1 | .0 | 1.6 |
| 2009–10 | Toronto | 69 | 19 | 19.8 | .515 | .133 | .688 | 2.8 | 1.5 | .6 | .4 | 7.5 |
| 2010–11 | Toronto | 59 | 28 | 23.9 | .444 | .279 | .766 | 2.6 | 1.8 | .6 | .0 | 9.2 |
| 2015–16 | Phoenix | 36 | 0 | 11.7 | .393 | .406 | .538 | 1.1 | 1.3 | .3 | .0 | 2.5 |
| 2015–16 | Philadelphia | 7 | 0 | 11.1 | .333 | .222 | .500 | 1.7 | .3 | .0 | .0 | 2.4 |
| Career | 183 | 47 | 18.2 | .465 | .283 | .702 | 2.2 | 1.4 | .5 | .2 | 6.5 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | Žalgiris | 15 | 15 | 29.9 | .474 | .360 | .686 | 5.0 | 1.3 | .9 | .2 | 15.5 | 12.7 |
| 2012–13 | CSKA Moscow | 28 | 27 | 28.8 | .472 | .385 | .813 | 2.9 | 2.1 | .8 | .1 | 13.7 | 11.8 |
| 2013–14 | 29 | 27 | 28.5 | .442 | .354 | .754 | 3.5 | 3.7 | .9 | .2 | 12.2 | 12.4 | |
| 2014–15 | 26 | 22 | 26.9 | .425 | .371 | .792 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 1.0 | .2 | 13.1 | 11.8 | |
| 2016–17 | Maccabi | 19 | 16 | 27.0 | .509 | .327 | .703 | 3.3 | 3.4 | .9 | .1 | 11.6 | 11.1 |
| 2017–18 | Anadolu Efes | 6 | 6 | 30.4 | .452 | .318 | .769 | 3.5 | 4.0 | .7 | .0 | 15.5 | 13.7 |
| Career | 123 | 113 | 28.3 | .459 | .361 | .757 | 3.6 | 3.0 | .9 | .2 | 13.2 | 12.0 | |
| Year | Team | League | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 |  Žalgiris | LKL | 13 | 12 | 23.6 | .441 | .343 | .694 | 3.9 | 1.9 | 1.4 | .1 | 9.9 |
| 2011–12 | VTB | 16 | 16 | 25.4 | .474 | .342 | .735 | 4.1 | 2.0 | .8 | .4 | 10.3 | |
| 2012–13 |  CSKA | VTB | 25 | 19 | 24.3 | .485 | .442 | .659 | 2.5 | 1.7 | .7 | .1 | 11.5 |
| 2012–13 | PBL | 15 | 14 | 24.6 | .454 | .468 | .667 | 3.1 | 2.1 | .5 | .0 | 11.2 | |
| 2013–14 | VTB | 26 | 25 | 29.0 | .444 | .371 | .711 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 1.0 | .4 | 11.0 | |
| 2014–15 | 31 | 26 | 22.1 | .454 | .437 | .750 | 2.7 | 3.5 | .6 | .2 | 11.6 | ||
| 2016–17 |  Maccabi | ISBL | 11 | 9 | 24.3 | .333 | .229 | .846 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 1.0 | .1 | 7.7 |
| 2017–18 |  Zhejiang | CBA | 38 | 38 | 38.9 | .509 | .409 | .834 | 8.0 | 5.9 | 1.6 | .3 | 31.7 |
| 2017–18 |  Anadolu Efes | BSL | 15 | 10 | 27.7 | .500 | .333 | .773 | 3.4 | 3.1 | .7 | .1 | 12.9 |
| 2018–19 | Guangdong | CBA | 54 | 12 | 33.2 | .566 | .371 | .786 | 5.7 | 6.4 | 1.6 | .2 | 23.1 |
| 2019–20 | 51 | 30 | 29.5 | .539 | .364 | .817 | 6.1 | 6.1 | 1.6 | .4 | 21.8 | ||
| 2020–21 | 54 | 36 | 21.3 | .505 | .333 | .796 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 1.4 | .2 | 16.7 | ||
| 2021–22 | 27 | 27 | 27.0 | .505 | .397 | .824 | 4.7 | 5.6 | 1.2 | .4 | 15.0 |
Source:RealGM
· Basketball Reference_(cropped).jpg)