Dragan Bender

Basketball Player

Dragan Bender was born in apljina, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina on November 17th, 1997 and is the Basketball Player. At the age of 26, Dragan Bender biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.

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Date of Birth
November 17, 1997
Nationality
Croatia
Place of Birth
apljina, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Age
26 years old
Zodiac Sign
Scorpio
Profession
Basketball Player
Social Media
Dragan Bender Height, Weight, Eye Color and Hair Color

At 26 years old, Dragan Bender has this physical status:

Height
213cm
Weight
102kg
Hair Color
Not Available
Eye Color
Not Available
Build
Not Available
Measurements
Not Available
Dragan Bender Religion, Education, and Hobbies
Religion
Not Available
Hobbies
Not Available
Education
Not Available
Dragan Bender Spouse(s), Children, Affair, Parents, and Family
Spouse(s)
Not Available
Children
Not Available
Dating / Affair
Not Available
Parents
Not Available
Dragan Bender Career

Bender made his professional debut at 15 years of age with KK Split. He played only a total of six minutes and added two points and one rebound. 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 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.

In 2014, Bender signed a seven-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv, a team that played in the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the EuroLeague. He was soon loaned to Ironi Ramat Gan of the Liga Leumit, 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. He recorded another double-double 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 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.

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.

On 23 June 2016, Bender was selected by the Phoenix Suns 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 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. With Bender playing alongside Devin Booker and fellow rookie Marquese Chriss, 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 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. He then had his third 10-point game of the season on 3 December in a 138–109 loss to the Golden State Warriors. 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. 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. On 16 December 2017, he set a new career high with 17 points in a 108–106 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. 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. 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. On 8 April 2018, Bender recorded 14 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in a 117–100 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

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

In July 2019, Bender signed a two-year minimum deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. 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 season. On 10 February 2020, the Milwaukee Bucks announced that they had waived Bender.

On 23 February 2020, the Golden State Warriors announced that they had signed Bender to a 10-day contract. In his first game he played against his former team, the Phoenix Suns, 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, 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 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.

On 23 September 2020, Bender signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the EuroLeague. In 2020–21 he was third in the league with 1.3 blocks per game.

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

National team career

Bender competed for the Croatian national Under-16 team at the 2012 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship. 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 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 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, 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, 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.

In June 2017, Bender was granted permission from the Phoenix Suns to play for the senior Croatian national team at EuroBasket 2017. At EuroBasket 2017, he averaged 4.3 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist per game, in 6 games played.

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