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 (appro ...

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 Southwest Division of the ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

. Born in

Quantico, Virginia Quantico (; formerly Potomac) is a town in southeastern Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 578 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., bound ...

, He attended Bloomington High School in

Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census showed the city had a population of 78,680, making it the List of municipalities in Illinois, 13th-most populous ci ...

, where he was an All-American in basketball. Bender has the distinction of being the first (and until 2025 only) individual to play for different programs in two NCAA Championship games. He was a freshman on

Bob Knight Robert Montgomery Knight (October 25, 1940 – November 1, 2023) was an American men's college basketball coach (basketball), coach. Nicknamed "the General", he won 902 NCAA Division I men's basketball games, a record at the time of his retire ...

'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 landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. Bender was drafted by the San Diego Clippers 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 1980–81 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team, 1980 to 2021� ...

. He later served as head coach at

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university in Normal, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teachin ...

and the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

, and was an assistant with the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially 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 Atlan ...

. 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 20th-century American sportsmen 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 Point guards San Diego Clippers draft picks Sportspeople from the Washington metropolitan area Washington Huskies men's basketball coaches