Bowden played high school basketball for Carter High School in Strawberry Plains, Tennessee and was coached by Joby Boydstone.[1] As a senior he averaged 26.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, shooting 55 percent from the field. Bowden earned All-State and District 3-AA MVP recognition, and was named the Knoxville News Sentinel’s 2015 PrepXtra Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Bowden transferred to 22 Feet Academy for a season of prep basketball and drew major-college attention after scoring 30 points at the Tarkanian Classic in December 2015. He averaged 17 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.[2] Ranked the No. 186 prospect in his class by 247Sports, Bowden signed with Tennessee on March 22, 2016, choosing the Volunteers over offers from Providence, Cincinnati, Marquette, and Utah.[3]
College career
Bowden averaged 7.9 points and 2.9 rebounds per game as a freshman. He increased his scoring 9.1 points and rebounding to 3.6 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Bowden scored in double figures in 15 games as a sophomore. He was Tennessee's fifth-leading scorer as a junior with 10.6 points per game and was second on the team in three-point shots made with 51.[2] Bowden drew attention on social media with his dance breaks.[4] He scored a season-high 26 points against Murray State in a 82–63 victory, then scored 18 points the following game in a 75–62 win over Washington. For these performances Bowden was named SEC Player of the Week on November 18, 2019.[5] He had 16 points in a win over Alabama State on November 20 and surpassed the 1,000 point threshold.[6] On February 22, 2020, Bowden scored a career-high 28 points and had six assists in a 73–66 loss to Auburn.[7] As a senior, Bowden averaged 13.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.[8]
Professional career
Long Island Nets (2021–2023)
After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft, Bowden signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Brooklyn Nets on December 1, 2020.[9][10] He was waived by the Nets on December 11.[11] He was then added to the roster of the Nets' NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. He made his debut for the team in their season opener on February 10, 2021; scoring 4 points and grabbing 1 rebound in 8 minutes of action. On March 5, Bowden scored 20 points and had 11 rebounds in a win against the Memphis Hustle.[12]
On October 11, 2021, Bowden signed with the Brooklyn Nets,[13] but was waived at the end of training camp on October 15.[14] Ten days later, Bowden was included in the training camp roster of the Long Island Nets.[15]
SLUC Nancy (2023–2024)
On July 16, 2023, Bowden signed with SLUC Nancy of the LNB Pro A.[16] He averaged 9.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. On January 17, 2024, Bowden parted ways with the team.[17]