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Sucks for Bender. He didn't even really play in the NBA.
Pacers' Bender retires after knee injuries
By CLIFF BRUNT, Associated Press Writer
February 4, 2006
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Indiana Pacers forward Jonathan Bender retired Saturday after he was unable to recover from a series of knee injuries.
"Due to a medical condition in my knees, I will not be able to continue playing basketball," the 25-year-old forward said in a statement through the team. "The Pacers gave me the chance to play with, and against, the best players in the world."
Toronto made Bender the fifth pick in the 1999 draft, then traded him to Indiana before the season started. He played seven seasons with the Pacers, but never in every game. His best season was in 2001-2002, when he averaged 7.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.
The 7-foot Bender also played guard at times. He made 87 3-pointers in his career. As a defender, he was an intimidating shot blocker.
Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said Bender is a hard worker who appreciated the chance to play in the NBA.
"I'm sad for him, for his family," Carlisle said. "A situation like this couldn't happen to a more undeserving person. Jonathan really is a great kid. He wanted to play basketball in the worst way and he wanted to help this franchise in the worst way."
When healthy, Bender presented mismatches and was a force on the boards. But he rarely was able to contribute. He played in 237 regular-season games with 27 starts, and was limited to nine games the past two seasons.
"It'll be one of the questions when you look back in history. How good could this guy have been?" Carlisle said. "I'm not sure that there was any limit to his potential. It was just not to be."
Sucks for Bender. He didn't even really play in the NBA.
Wow, that sucks for him.
Wow. He had a lot of skills and could have been a nice player if he ever got healthy.
I wonder if a few years off will help his knees and we see a comeback for a 27-year-old Bender...
Not that it was unexpected, but it still sucks for him; he showed flashes of being very good.
I think it's a bone on bone thing, something that won't get better. The driving reason behind his retirement decision was (I presume) that he would not cripple his legs.
I don't think he will be back, unless a new medical procedure comes about.
Maybe he will move back to MS and he and I can drink beer and watch Spurs' games.
Man, Bender had so much talent. Undersized though with weak knee's obviously, it wasn't meant to be.
Pacers Need Better Doctors
As if the Pacers didn't regret trading for him before...
Indiana passes on Bender and keep Antonio Davis in 1999, then the 2000 Finals may have been very different. With Smits and the Davis', Indiana has the bigs to handle Shaq. They could have been far more aggressive with those three, rather than just Smits and Dale. With Antonio, there's absolutely no defensive drop-off for Shaq and Antonio would have made Shaq work harder on defense because Antonio was a much better offensive player than was Dale.
It sucks that he can't play ball in the NBA anymore, but don't weep for him too much. He's financially set for life if he doesn't get stupid.
Call me crazy, but I think this comes of playing professional sports at an age where your bone caps haven't sealed yet.
This sucks for Bender and Indiana. How about Rasho or Nazr for Peja since they might need a big...
How long does he have to be retired to get out of his contract? Are the rats deserting the ship in Indiana?
most overrated player in the nba, pacer fans can bloat all they want about him, but the fact is had alot of skills but didnt show it on the court. he wouldve been better on the and1 team instead playin in the nba
Rasho 4 Peja would be a dream.
More talent unrealized. He barely played in the league. That sucks.
Damn what is up with this Pacers team
Sorry JBend.
I wonder, and I'm sure it's a lot lower, but who the youngest player to ever retire in the NBA was?
dude had skills, but he never really played enough or stayed healthy long enough to be overrated.
He was a bust before the health problems, but he might have helped still. Indiana tends to pick up good young talent, but they also throw some away (James Jones) or see others walk away (like Bender).
Too bad. It sucks to be a pacer fan. Never seen a team with such bad luck.
Did you not watch any of the 96-97 Spurs season
he never had a chance -- didnt this kid break jordans scoring record in the all american game as a highschooler ?
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