Jonathan Bender

Jonathan Bender ( born January 30, 1981 in Picayune, Mississippi ) is a former American professional basketball player. He played the position of power forward.

Bender played before the start of his professional career at the Picayune Memorial High School before he was selected in the NBA Draft 1999, 5 out of the Toronto Raptors. He was then traded for Antonio Davis of the Indiana Pacers. The first two years came Bender rarely. 2000-01 he then had his best season. In this, he scored 7.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 78 games. He then wrote a new contract for 28.5 million U.S. dollars for four years. However, Bender's career was marked by serious injury in the coming years. Due to its incredible bad luck with injuries, he missed the 2003/ 04 61 games, 2004/ 05 75 Games and 2005/ 06 80 of 82 games. His contract was terminated in June 14, 2006 by the Pacers. Following persistent injuries Bender finished his career in the same summer, at the age of only 25 years.

On 13 December 2009, he managed to surprise his return to the NBA. He was taken on the day of the New York Knicks under contract. For the Knicks Bender completed 25 games and scored 4.7 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. During his basketball career Bender reached 5.5 points 2.2 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game on average.