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Former NBA'er Raja Bell shouts out son for winning Elite11

IMG_8358by: Andy Villamarzo06/20/25Andy_Villamarzo
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Former NBA star Raja Bell poses for a photo with his son, Dia, who won Thursday's Elite11 competition; Courtesy of Raja Bell/X

It didn’t take long for Texas commitment Dia Bell, who won Thursday’s Elite11 competition, to hear praise from his well known parent. His father, former NBA’er Raja Bell, took to social media to shout out his son for being named the competition’s Most Valuable Player.

‘Congrats to my son @DiaBell3QB1 on being named the MVP of the @Elite11 competition! A truly amazing experience getting to watch some incredible QBs compete and bond. Thank u coaches!Met so many awesome parents and will genuinely be pulling for all of the boys. They are ALL STUDS!‘

When it came to the final contestants of the quarterback challenge, Bell stood out among the rest on the final day. Per Charles Power, Bell was on point on Day 3 and completed 18-of-23 throws and four touchdowns.

Bell edged out the field of signal callers on the last day, which included Corner Canyon‘s Helaman Casuga (Texas A&M commit), Grimsley‘s Faizon Brandon (Tennessee commit) and Millard South‘s Jett Thomalla (Alabama commit).

On Bell’s first night at the Elite11 competition, he started off very impressive among a field of 20 passers to start. The Plantation American Heritage quarterback on Night 2 completed 15-of-20 passes, setting himself for a strong final day.

Bell finished completing 33-of-43 passes between the final two days, culminating in the 2026 quarterback winning the prestigious competition against some of the country’s top passers.

Last season for the Patriots, who ended up winning Florida’s Class 4A state championship, Bell completed 161-of-228 passes for 2,597 yards with 29 touchdowns. Bell also added 561 rushing yards and five scores.

The elder Bell played in the NBA from 2001-2013 from numerous teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Charlotte Bobcats, and Golden State Warriors. Bell was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive team twice during his career.

Folks will get their first chance to see younger Bell in regular season action when American Heritage takes on St. Joseph’s Prep in the Broward County Classic High School Football Showcase on August 22nd at St. Thomas Aquinas High School.