Robert Michael Bender (born April 28, 1957) is an American professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
coach, who last served an assistant coach with the
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...
of the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
. Born in
Quantico, Virginia
Quantico ( or ; formerly Potomac) is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 480 at the 2010 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, DC, bordered by the Potomac River to the east a ...
, He attended
Bloomington High School in
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city and the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, United States. It is adjacent to the town of Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area. Bloomington ...
, where he was an All-American in basketball. Bender has the distinction of being the only individual to play on two teams in two NCAA Championship games. He was a freshman on Bob Knight's undefeated
1976 Indiana team and played point guard at Duke from 1977 to 1980, including an appearance in the
title game against
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
. Bender was drafted by the
San Diego Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...
in the sixth round before his senior year, but did not play.
He began his coaching career as an assistant at Duke under
Mike Krzyzewski
Michael William Krzyzewski ( ; born February 13, 1947), nicknamed "Coach K", is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at Duke University from 1980 to 2022, during which he led the Blue Devils to five natio ...
. He later served as head coach at
Illinois State University
Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...
and the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
, and was an assistant with the
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...
.
Bender is married to his wife, Alice, with whom he has two children: Mary Elizabeth and Robert Michael Bender III.
On June 17, 2013, Bender was hired as an assistant coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, under Larry Drew, of whom he was an assistant to at the Atlanta Hawks.
Head coaching record
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bender, Bob
1957 births
Living people
American men's basketball players
Atlanta Hawks assistant coaches
Basketball coaches from Virginia
Basketball players from Virginia
Bloomington High School (Bloomington, Illinois) alumni
College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
Duke Blue Devils men's basketball players
Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball coaches
Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball players
Memphis Grizzlies assistant coaches
Milwaukee Bucks assistant coaches
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
People from Quantico, Virginia
Philadelphia 76ers assistant coaches
San Diego Clippers draft picks
Sportspeople from the Washington metropolitan area
Washington Huskies men's basketball coaches
Point guards