2024.06.14

Five Honored at the 25th Induction Class of the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame

Impressive group brings wealth of excellence and accomplishment in the ring and on the airwaves, links and hard court

The Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame officially enshrined the Class of 2024 tonight at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson. The inductees are Kenny Bayless, Tony Bonnici and Jesse Leeds, Brady Exber and C.J. Watson. Including this induction class, the Hall of Fame now consists of 127 members.

“Since our first induction ceremony honoring David Humm in 1997, we have diligently worked to recognize the tremendous achievements of Southern Nevada athletes and those contributing to sports in our community,” said Hall of Fame Executive Director Jim Lambright. “This class includes one of the finest boxing referees to step into the ring in Kenny Bayless, a pair of visionaries in Tony Bonnici and Jesse Leeds that brought sports and more to the airwaves, the most accomplished amateur golfer in Southern Nevada history in Brady Exber and C.J. Watson, who starred at Bishop Gorman and played 10 years in the NBA. We’re honored to bestow upon them the state’s highest sports recognition by welcoming them as the 25th induction class of the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame.”

Widely known as one of the finest to serve as the “3rd man in the ring,” Bayless is a man of many talents. Throughout his career, he exhibited control over the ring with sound judgement, decisive action and athletic movement. Some of the legendary fights he has overseen include Antonio Tarver vs. Roy Jones, Jr. (2003), Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (2007), Ricky Hatton vs. Manny Pacquiao (2009), Shane Mosley vs. Mayweather, Jr. (2010), Mayweather, Jr. vs. Pacquiao (2015), Gennady Golovkin vs. Canelo Alvarez (2017) and Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury (2020). His skills also include public speaking and acting. His movies appearances include Creed II and Creed III.

Bonnici and Leeds are visionaries, sports advocates, community partners and pioneers that led the way in building Lotus Broadcasting into one of Las Vegas’ finest brands, forging a partnership in 1989 and building a legacy that grew during their tenure together. Through passion and determination, the Lotus Broadcasting family of stations provides something for everyone. Those stations include KOMP 92.3 - Active Rock Station, 97.1, The Point - Classic Rock Station, La Buena 101.9 - Spanish Adult Hits and The Las Vegas Sports Network. Stations in the Sports Network include Fox Sports, ESPN, The Game, Raider Nation Radio and Deportes Vegas. Lotus Broadcasting continues to serve as the flagship radio partner for the Las Vegas Raiders (in both English and Spanish), Vegas Golden Knights (in both English and Spanish), the Las Vegas Aces, the Las Vegas Aviators, UNLV Football and Men's Basketball, the Henderson Silver Knights and the Vegas Knight Hawks.

Exber is the most decorated and accomplished amateur golfer in Southern Nevada history. He has earned nine Southern Nevada Golf Association Player of the Year Awards, in addition to winning the 2014 Canadian Senior Amateur and British Senior Amateur, and more than 100 amateur titles overall. The Brady Exber Trophy is now awarded to current Southern Nevada Golf Association golfers who earn Player of the Year. At age 66, Exber is still competing at a high-level and won the 2023 Nevada State Senior Amateur and the 2022 Clark County Senior Amateur, among other titles.

Watson is a former star point guard at Bishop Gorman High School before playing at the Univ. of Tennessee and then for 10 years in the NBA. At Bishop Gorman, he helped lead the Gaels to the 4A state championships in three consecutive seasons, winning titles in 2000 and 2002. He was also named 2001 and the 2002 Gatorade Nevada Player of the Year. Watson then starred with the Volunteers where he was named as a unanimous selection to the SEC All-Freshman team. He finished his collegiate career averaging more than 15 points per game during his senior season. Following college, Watson played in Europe and the NBA D-League (now the G League), before playing his first game in the NBA on Jan. 8, 2008, with the Golden State Warriors. He would also play for Chicago, Brooklyn, Indiana, and Orlando during his career. In all, he played in 600 regular season games and 48 playoff games. He finished with career averages of 7.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and .9 steals.

Over the past 25+ years, the SNSHF has awarded more than 90 scholarships to Clark County students. This year, seven graduating seniors are recipients. They are Aaliyah Jaime (David Humm Scholarship Award for Courage); Sanjeev Chundu, Jace Hashimoto, Mackenzie Shepard, Tatum Thompson and Sophia Zagorski (Rich Abajian Leadership Scholarships) and Monica Jean-Julien (Simon Keith Heart of a Champion Award).

The SNSHF has also added the Hunkie Cooper Commitment to Youth Award. This recognition provides local area coaches with an award of $1,250 to assist their programs as they continue to make a difference in the community. The recipients of this inaugural award are Kevin Walker (Youth Coach, Green Machine Youth Football Program), Joseph Semaia (Youth Coach, Vegas Golden Knights Youth Football Program), Shenoa Davis (Athletic Director and Assistant Track & Field Coach, Mojave High) and Christopher James Sanders (Special Ed. Teacher and Varsity Boys/Girls Volleyball Coach, Chaparral High).

The Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization committed to recognizing the outstanding achievements by Southern Nevada athletes, both in the world of sports and the local community. Proceeds from the event will be donated to organizations committed to the support and enhancement of Southern Nevada youth through active participation in programs designed to promote leadership, values and character through sports.

For more information, please visit www.SNSHF.com. Updates are also available on Facebook (Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame) and X (@SNSHF).