Dragan Bender (born 17 November 1997) is a Croatian 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 ...

player for Monbus Obradoiro of the Spanish

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, ...

. He stands and plays the power forward and center positions. He was selected by the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

with the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. Bender represents the Croatian national team, with experience in the

FIBA Europe FIBA Europe is the administrative body for basketball in Europe, within the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), which includes all 50 national European basketball federations. In reaction to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, FIBA Euro ...

junior tournaments. Before playing in Israel, he competed with multiple teams in Croatia and in Nikola Vujčić's academy.

Early life

Bender was born on 17 November 1997, in

Čapljina Čapljina ( sr-cyrl, Чапљина, ) is a city located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located on the border with Croatia a mere from the Adriatic Sea. The ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...

, and he later moved to

Split, Croatia )'' , settlement_type = City , anthem = ''Marjane, Marjane'' , image_skyline = , imagesize = 267px , image_caption = Top: Nighttime view of Split from Mosor; 2nd row: Cathedra ...

. At 12 years of age, he started playing at Nikola Vujčić's basketball academy as a

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run the team's offense by ...

. Vujčić was a former Maccabi Tel Aviv star and became Bender's guardian. At the academy, Bender became a more versatile player and he "learned how to play all the positions on the court." Bender played there along with his older brother, Ivan, with Bender also playing against guys that were Ivan's age when he first started playing. Bender also played with the

KK Split Košarkaški klub Split ( en, Split Basketball Club), commonly referred to as KK Split or simply Split, is a men's professional basketball club based in Split, Croatia. The club competes in the ABA League and the Croatian League. History The ...

youth teams at this time, and he appeared for the Croatian under-16 national basketball team. He idolized and modeled his game after Toni Kukoč, a former Croatian NBA player, while growing up and watched his old game tape. He mostly watched EuroLeague games but would sometimes tune into the NBA as well. One of his favorite EuroLeague players was

Šarūnas Jasikevičius Šarūnas "Šaras" Jasikevičius (; born 5 March 1976) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. During his playing career, standing ...

Professional career

Split (2012–2013)

Bender made his professional debut at 15 years of age with

. He played only a total of six minutes and added two points and one rebound.

Kaštela (2013–2014)

For the following season, Bender remained in Croatia and signed with KK Kaštela, who played in the country's second-best league. With his help, the team was promoted to the

A-1 Liga The Hrvatski Telekom Premijer liga ( en, Hrvatski Telekom Premier League, ), also known as HT Premijer liga or simply Premijer liga, is the first tier level men's professional basketball league in Croatia. It began in 1991, following the breakup ...

, the top league in Croatia. Most notably, he made a game-winning shot with three seconds remaining against KK Gorica to help his team secure the promotion. Later, in February 2014, Bender joined the KK Cedevita junior team for the Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament. He put up 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists vs the junior team of the Serbian club

KK Mega Basket Košarkaški klub Mega Basket ( sr-cyr, Кошаркашки клуб Мега Баскет), commonly referred to as KK Mega Basket or as Mega MIS due to sponsorship reasons, is a men's professional basketball Sports club, club based in Belgrade, ...

Ironi Ramat Gan (2014–2016)

In 2014, Bender signed a seven-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv, a team that played in the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball c ...

and the EuroLeague. He was soon loaned to

Ironi Ramat Gan Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan ( he, מכבי עירוני רמת גן, formerly Ironi Ramat Gan) is a male basketball club based in Ramat Gan in central Israel. The team plays in Liga Leumit, the second division in Israeli basketball. It plays at the Sha ...

of the

Liga Leumit Liga Leumit ( he, ליגה לאומית, lit. ''National League'') is the second division of the Israeli Football League, and below its Premier League. Structure There are 16 clubs in the league. At the end of each season, the two lowest-place ...

, the second-tier-level league in Israel, for the 2014–15 season. He made his debut on 21 October 2014, posting 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists vs

Ramat HaSharon Ramat HaSharon ( he, רָמַת הַשָּׁרוֹן, ''lit.'' '' Sharon Heights'', ar, رمات هشارون) is a city located on Israel's central coastal strip in the south of the Sharon region, bordering Tel Aviv to the south, Hod HaSharon ...

. He recorded another

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

on 12 December, with 23 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Maccabi Ra'anana. Bender scored a season-high 25 points as his team defeated

Barak Netanya Elitzur Ironi Netanya ( he, אליצור עירוני קוסמוס נדל"ן נתניה) is a professional basketball club based in Netanya, Israel. The team plays in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, since its promotion in 2021. History Eli ...

by one point on 1 January 2015. After 28 games, he finished the season averaging 9.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 blocks. As the season came to a close, Bender returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Maccabi Tel Aviv (2015–2016)

Bender debuted for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Premier League on 11 October 2015, with 5 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 blocks in a win over Maccabi Kiryat Gat. He scored double figures for the first time with the team in a rematch with Kiryat Gat, adding 15 points. Bender scored a season-high 16 points on 31 December 2015, as his team defeated Hapoel Holon. In 2015–16, he helped Maccabi Tel Aviv repeat as winners in the 2016 Israeli State Cup, and he was named a foreign All-Star for the 2016 Israeli All-Star game. On 6 April 2016, Bender declared for the 2016 NBA draft. His contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv was later bought out for $1.3 million.

Phoenix Suns (2016–2019)

On 23 June 2016, Bender was selected by the

with the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. He was widely billed as the best international prospect available in the draft, highly valued for his ability to shoot the ball in various ways as a big man, as well as his overall untapped potential in other facets of the game. As the fourth overall pick, Bender became the Suns' highest-selected rookie since

Armen Gilliam Armen Louis Gilliam (born Armon Louis Gilliam; May 28, 1964 – July 5, 2011) was an American professional basketball player who played 13 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1987 to 2000. He also played one season for the Pi ...

was taken second overall in 1987, and the highest-selected Croatian to be taken in an NBA draft. On 7 July, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Suns and joined the team for the 2016 NBA Summer League. Bender made his debut for the Suns in their season opener on 26 October 2016, scoring 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in a 113–94 loss to the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. With Bender playing alongside Devin Booker and fellow rookie

Marquese Chriss Marquese De'Shawn Chriss (born July 2, 1997) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies and was sele ...

, the Suns became the first NBA team to get three teenagers on the floor in the same game. Bender also joined Booker and

Giannis Antetokounmpo Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo (born Adetokunbo; December 6, 1994) is a Greek-Nigerian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Antetokounmpo's country of origin, in addition to his ...

as the only 18-year-olds to score 10 points in a game since 2006–07. He had his second 10-point game of the season on 8 November in a 124–121 loss to the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. He then had his third 10-point game of the season on 3 December in a 138–109 loss to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

. On 26 December, Bender recorded his first career double-double with season highs of 11 points and 13 rebounds in a 131–115 loss to the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

. On 8 February 2017, Bender underwent a successful routine arthroscopic procedure on his right ankle to remove a bone spur. He was subsequently ruled out for approximately four to six weeks. He returned to action on 2 April 2017, against Houston. In July 2017, Bender re-joined the Suns for the 2017 NBA Summer League. In five games, he averaged 14.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. On 13 November 2017, Bender scored a career-high 15 points in a 100–93 loss to the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. On 16 December 2017, he set a new career high with 17 points in a 108–106 win over the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

. On 7 January 2018, he scored 17 of his then career-high 20 points in the second half of the Suns' 114–100 win over the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. He made a career-best six 3-pointers, going 5 of 6 in the second half. On 10 February 2018, he scored a career-high 23 points in a 123–113 loss to the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. On 8 April 2018, Bender recorded 14 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in a 117–100 loss to the

. In July 2018, Bender re-joined the Suns for the

2018 NBA Summer League The 2018 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA): the Sacramento Kings's California Classic Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. The Sacra ...

. On 30 October 2018, the Suns declined Bender's $5.9 million fourth year rookie option, making him a free agent after the season. On 5 April 2019, Bender recorded a career-high seven blocks in a 133–126 overtime win over the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

Milwaukee Bucks (2019–2020)

In July 2019, Bender signed a two-year minimum deal with the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...

. The first year of Bender's deal was partially guaranteed, but it became fully guaranteed when the Bucks did not waive Bender by 7 January, while the second is non-guaranteed. Bender was assigned to the Wisconsin Herd for the start of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA D ...

season. On 10 February 2020, the

announced that they had waived Bender.

Golden State Warriors (2020)

On 23 February 2020, the

announced that they had signed Bender to a 10-day contract. In his first game he played against his former team, the

, he recorded 13 points and 9 rebounds in a 115–99 win on 29 February. He then acquired a second 10-day contract on 5 March 2020. In his last game before the NBA season was suspended due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, Bender tied his career high with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting and added 7 rebounds in a 131–107 loss to the

Los Angeles 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 ...

on 10 March. The season was suspended while Bender was still on contract, and he became a free agent before the season restarted in July.

Maccabi Tel Aviv (2020–2021)

On 23 September 2020, Bender signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the

and the EuroLeague. In 2020–21 he was third in the league with 1.3 blocks per game. He suffered a season-ending injury in May 2021 that caused him to miss the entire 2021–22 season.

Obradoiro (2022–present)

On August 23, 2022, he has signed with Monbus Obradoiro of the Spanish

National team career

Junior national team

Bender competed for the Croatian national Under-16 team at the

2012 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship The 2012 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship was the 26th edition of the FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship. 16 teams featured in the competition, which was held in Latvia and Lithuania, from 19 to 29 July 2012. Turkey won the title for the third tim ...

. in Latvia and Lithuania. Through five contests, he averaged 2.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 5.6 minutes per game. The following year, he came back to the

2013 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship The 2013 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship was the 27th edition of the European Under-16 Basketball Championship. 16 teams participated in the competition, which was held in Kyiv, Ukraine, from 8 to 18 August 2013. Turkey were the defending champ ...

in Ukraine, improving through 9 games to 9.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 35.4 minutes per game. Bender improved even further, while playing with the Croatian national Under-18 team, at the

2014 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship The 2014 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship was the 31st edition of the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship. 16 teams participated in the competition, held in Konya, Turkey, from 24 July to 3 August 2014. The tournament served as the qualifying tourn ...

in Turkey. In 9 games, he averaged 14.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 29 minutes per game, helping his team win the bronze medal, and being named to All-Tournament Team in the process. In 2015, Bender was selected by Croatia for the 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

, Greece, but he was forced to withdraw because the team's players were obliged to wear Jordan Brand clothes and shoes, due to a sponsorship agreement. Bender had signed a similar agreement with his sponsor

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufacture ...

, which prevented him to wear other brands. Bender expressed disappointment in the Croatian Basketball Federation's decision, even saying they had no reason to attack his loyalty to Croatia, or his family's loyalty to it. Adidas later designed a logo-less pair of shoes for Bender, in order for him to play with Maccabi Tel Aviv, since they are also sponsored by Jordan Brand as well, as a response to the Croatian Basketball Federation's stance.

Senior national team

In June 2017, Bender was granted permission from the

to play for the senior Croatian national team at

EuroBasket 2017 EuroBasket 2017 was the 40th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe and held between 31 August and 17 September 2017. Beginning from 2017, the continental championships take place every four years with a similar ...

. At EuroBasket 2017, he averaged 4.3 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist per game, in 6 games played.

Player profile

Bender has been strongly compared to Kristaps Porziņģis to the point where NBA executives considered him a Top 5 selection similar to Porziņģis because of their playing styles, either due to it being a selling point or being a good cover overall.Bosnian big man getting deep look for top draft position
/ref> However, while Porziņģis may be the stronger shooter and scorer, Bender is consistently labeled as the stronger passer and ball-handler.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 43 , , 0 , , 13.3 , , .354 , , .277 , , .364 , , 2.4 , , .5 , , .2 , , .5 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 37 , , 25.2 , , .386 , , .366 , , .765 , , 4.4 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , .6 , , 6.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 46 , , 27 , , 18.0 , , .447 , , .218 , , .593 , , 4.0 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , .5 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", , style="text-align:left;",

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

, 7 , , 0 , , 13.0 , , .476 , , .444 , , .667 , , 2.9 , , 1.3 , , .0 , , .7 , , 3.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 9 , , 3 , , 21.7 , , .437 , , .324 , , .727 , , 5.9 , , 2.1 , , .4 , , .4 , , 9.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 187 , , 67 , , 20.1 , , .399 , , .323 , , .654 , , 3.9 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .6 , , 5.4

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;", Maccabi Tel Aviv , 7 , , 0 , , 10.5 , , .333 , , .250 , , .500 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , .3 , , .4 , , 2.1 , , 1.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 7 , , 0 , , 10.5 , , .333 , , .250 , , .500 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , .3 , , .4 , , 2.1 , , 1.1

Personal life

Bender's older brother, Ivan, played college basketball as a forward for the

Maryland Terrapins The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divis ...

. In order to learn the English language at a young age, Bender watched American sitcoms like ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Li ...

'' and ''

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz for NBC. It aired from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart ...

''.5 Things to Know about Suns Top Pick Dragan Bender
/ref>

References

External links

*
Dragan Bender
at euroleague.net
Dragan Bender
at draftexpress.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bender, Dragan 1997 births Living people Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate basketball people in the United States Centers (basketball) Croatian expatriate basketball people in Israel Croatian expatriate basketball people in the United States Croatian men's basketball players Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina Golden State Warriors players Ironi Ramat Gan players Israeli Basketball Premier League players KK Kaštela players KK Split players Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. players Milwaukee Bucks players National Basketball Association players from Bosnia and Herzegovina National Basketball Association players from Croatia Obradoiro CAB players People from Čapljina Phoenix Suns draft picks Phoenix Suns players Power forwards (basketball) Small forwards Wisconsin Herd players