Bruce Bolden

{{Short description|American basketball player (born 1963)}}

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Bruce Bolden

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| position = Forward

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 7

| weight_lb = 231

| nationality =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1963|11|30}}

| birth_place = Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| highschool = Flint Northwestern {{nowrap|(Flint, Michigan)}}

| college = Boise State (1981–1985)

| draft_year = 1985

| career_start = 1985

| career_end = 2004

| years1 = 1985

| team1 = Ulriken Elite

| years2 = 1986

| team2 = Gippsland Lakers

| years3 = 1987

| team3 = Eastside Spectres

| years4 = 1988–1989

| team4 = Westside Saints

| years5 = 1990–1991

| team5 = Eastside Spectres

| years6 = 1992–1994

| team6 = South East Melbourne Magic

| years7 = 1995–1998

| team7 = Sydney Kings

| years8 = 1998–2003

| team8 = West Sydney Razorbacks

| years9 = 2003–2004

| team9 = Albury Wodonga Bandits

| highlights =

• NBL champion (1992)
• NBL Grand Final MVP (1992)
• 4× All-NBL Second Team (1990–1993)
• NBL Best Sixth Man (1999)
• No. 32 retired by the West Sydney Razorbacks

}}

Bruce Bolden (born November 30, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 17 years in the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia. He won an NBL championship with the South East Melbourne Magic in 1992, when he was named the NBL Grand Final Most Valuable Player (MVP). He led the league in rebounding in 1993, and he was also named the NBL Best Sixth Man in 1999.{{cite news |title=Bolden the beautiful |date=April 4, 2002 |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/04/03/1017206221896.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924115846/http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/04/03/1017206221896.html |archivedate=September 24, 2015 |url-status=live }} His final season was played in the Australian Basketball Association with the Albury Wodonga Bandits in 2003–04.{{cite news |title=Legend leads Australians in tuneup vs RP five |date=March 24, 2009 |newspaper=The Philippine Star |url=http://www.philstar.com/sports/451066/legend-leads-australians-tuneup-vs-rp-five |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715113446/http://www.philstar.com/sports/451066/legend-leads-australians-tuneup-vs-rp-five |archivedate=July 15, 2015 |url-status=live }} His No. 32 was the first jersey to ever be retired by the West Sydney Razorbacks.{{cite web|title=Razorbacks–History|publisher=West Sydney Razorbacks|url=http://www.razorbacks.com.au/razor_history.asp|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20060820220635/http://www.razorbacks.com.au/razor_history.asp|archivedate=August 20, 2006}}

After retiring as a player, Bolden started MyHoops, a basketball coaching service in Australia for young players from 7 to 18 years old.{{cite news |last=Haigh |first=Paul |title=Rising star Bolden pays a visit to Caringbah High |date=June 24, 2015 |newspaper=The St George & Sutherland Shire Leader |url=http://www.theleader.com.au/story/3162757/rising-star-bolden-pays-a-visit-to-caringbah-high/ |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715100716/http://www.theleader.com.au/story/3162757/rising-star-bolden-pays-a-visit-to-caringbah-high/ |archivedate=July 15, 2015 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Our Story |work=MyHoops |url=http://www.myhoops.com.au/our-story |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715103742/http://www.myhoops.com.au/our-story |archivedate=July 15, 2015 |url-status=live }}

Bruce often appears as a guest on the Aussie Hoopla podcast where he provides his thoughts on how players can make it to an elite level and his views on basketball in Australia.{{Cite web|url=http://www.aussiehoopla.com/bruce-bolden-sydney-basketball-legend|title=Bruce Bolden (Sydney Kings & West Sydney Razorbacks) Podcast #42|website=www.aussiehoopla.com|language=en-US|access-date=2017-04-01}}