Bonnie-Jill Laflin (born March 15, 1976) is an American actress, model, television personality and sportscaster. Laflin has also worked as an actress and most notably as a scout for the Los Angeles Lakers, making her the league's first female scout.[1] She was also assistant general manager of the Lakers NBA Development League team.[1]
Bonnie-Jill Laflin | |
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![]() Laflin in 2015 | |
Born | (1976-03-15) March 15, 1976 (age 46) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
Occupation | Actress, model, TV personality, radio personality |
Years active | 1996–present |
Known for | Basketball Wives, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, KNBR Sports Radio, Fox Sports, ESPN |
Website | bonnie-jill |
Laflin grew up in San Francisco, California, the daughter of a law enforcement officer and began modeling as a child with her mother. She started dancing at age 2 and studied with the San Francisco Ballet.[2][3] She first gained public attention as a cheerleader with the Golden State Warriors[4] of the NBA and is a former San Francisco 49ers[5] and Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader[6] in the National Football League, earning a Super Bowl ring with the 49ers[2][6]
Laflin's work as a cheerleader and model helped her into television with recurring roles on Baywatch in the 1998–1999 season and Ally McBeal in 2000. She then became a TV personality, hosting Spike TV's Hotlines and ESPN's United Rockcrawling & Off-Road Challenge Series.[7][8] Laflin was also a correspondent for Prime 9 News with KCAL-TV in Los Angeles, California, (2003), and a correspondent for ESPN's Cold Pizza. Her accolades in the sports industry also include broadcasting jobs for CBS, Fox, BBC[9] and NFL Network. She is the creator and host of a basketball TV show for China, Muho TV (spoken in English with Chinese subtitles).[10]
Laflin played Dierks Bentley's love interest in CMT's 2005 Sexiest Video of the Year, "Come a Little Closer". In 2005, she appeared as one of the suitcase-holding models during the airing of the opening week of Deal or No Deal on NBC. Laflin was ranked #89 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2005.[11] She has also worked as a model for Frederick's of Hollywood and Venus Swimwear, and her print campaigns include Coors Light, Bacardi, Wrangler, FedEx, McDonald's Doritos, Carl's Jr and Nike And currently an ambassador and host for Air Jordan,[12] Laflin has been featured in several magazines including FHM, Maxim, GQ, Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine, Women's Health,[13] Fitness RX, Origin and New Beauty. She was named among the Top Hooters Girls as part of the restaurant chain's 25th anniversary in 2008.[14] Laflin was a cast member on season 6 of VH1's Basketball Wives.
Laflin has worked with the Los Angeles Lakers as a professional basketball scout,[15] making her the league's first female scout,[1] and as one of the two assistant general managers of the Lakers' developmental team, the Los Angeles D-Fenders.[16] She received 5 NBA Championship rings during her time with the Lakers.[17][18] On March 7, 2012, she announced[citation needed] that she and Kareem Rush would pair up in a fantasy basketball sports radio program on SiriusXM named The Rush Hour. The show launched on October 23, 2012;[19] the show was renewed for 2013.[citation needed] Laflin's other radio shows include Playboy Fantasy Football on Sirius/XM and University of Texas pre- and post-football game shows for ESPN Austin. Laflin has appeared on the ABC game show To Tell The Truth[20] "and was a guest on Larry King Now[21]
Laflin currently hosts "Bonnie-Jill Laflin's The Weekly Pass" on Afterbuzz TV, the first ever sports show on the network.[22] Since September 2018 she is now a regular host on KNBR's Murph and Mac show.[23] As of March 2019 she is concurrently also a television on air host and reporter[24] for NBC Sports Bay Area.
In 2010, Laflin founded the charity Hounds and Heroes, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to raising funds for military veterans, first responders and animals.[25] She has traveled all over the world on 18 United Service Organizations and Goodwill Tours, including 8 to Iraq and Afghanistan, supporting the United States Armed Forces.
Laflin has a clothing line, DoublePlay Sportswear, a women's sports apparel company.[26]
Laflin has rescued many domestic and farm animals that live on her parents' ranch.
She is a competitive barrel racer.[27]
... the first female scout in the NBA and she is also the assistant general manager for the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the Lakers' developmental team.
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