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In today’s NBA, where positionless basketball and player versatility are at a premium, Bender often hears the “you were ahead of your time” talk. “You see a guy like KD, and you’re like — okay, that’s what I was trying to do,” Bender says. “But KD? That dude took it to another stratosphere. He stayed healthy. That’s the difference. I tip my hat to him.” When we talk about how the league has changed — how a seven-footer pulling up from 30 is now normal — Bender smiles. “I love it. Let them cook. I just hope these young dudes are investing in their bodies. Don’t wait until the pain starts.”
Jonathan Bender on Michael Jordan's years in Washington: 'He couldn't do the things LeBron James is doing right now'
Jonathan Bender on Michael Jordan's years in Washington compared to current LeBron James: 'He couldn't do the things LeBron is doing right now at that age, but he could still affect the game, he could still get to his spots, he could still put up 30, right? And he still had a winning attitude.'
Jonathan Bender on Klay Thompson's quick release: 'I've never seen somebody get a shot off that fast ever, nobody's done it'
Jonathan Bender on Klay Thompson's quick release: ‘I’ve never seen somebody get a shot off THAT fast. Ever. Nobody's done it. I haven't seen anybody do it. You're going to have to prove to me. Show me somebody that can catch the ball at chin level and let it go without having a safety pocket or that pocket where you catch down at chest level. Most guys come down or they catch just below the chest area in the pocket and then come up to shoot. He's catching at chin level and it's gone, right? It's wet every time! Consistently. Literally! His base and his feet? He's always in a position to shoot. How does Charles Barkley say it? PULL!! So it's not really that he's fast or getting off screens, it's just that he's always set so once the ball comes to him, there's no wasted motion. He doesn't have to move his body a certain way, it's just there!
Jonathan Bender on if he thinks that Klay Thompson in Dallas at this point in his career mirrors where Reggie Miller was when he joined the Pacers: ’That's an interesting take! That would be pretty similar I would say. Klay's a helluva shooter. I hate that he left, my favorite team is Golden State, you know? I never thought that Klay and Steph would break up like that, or Klay would leave or either one would leave. But him going over there and you saying that, they do have similar games as far as the ability to shoot the ball and come off screens and Klay doesn't even need a quarter of a second, right? A millisecond and it's gone, right? And the way they both put the ball on the floor because Reggie didn't put the ball on the floor that much and Klay doesn't either, right? But their 3-ball is off the chain and I think that... yeah, that's a good take, man! That's actually a similar situation I would say.’
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Jonathan Bender On going up against any NBA vets that became his 'Welcome to the NBA' moment: ‘I don't know. Maybe Kobe or one of those guys? Definitely Reggie in practice, you know? I think for me because I was such a tall guy they had me guarding these smaller guys, so I was always able to recover on my shot so I was able to play good defense and not really get cooked out there on the court. That's why no one really, really stands out like that, you know? Being that 'hybrid' 7-footer I'm out there and I'm fast and quick, and I'm able to get up on these guys and it's like; If you drive past me, I'm coming to get it... and I was a shotblocker too, so I really didn't have standout moment like that other than guarding Reggie in practice. He definitely did me in a couple times for sure.’
Justin Kubatko: Tyler Herro will become the fourth-youngest player to play in an NBA Finals game. The only players to appear in a Finals game at a younger age are Darko Milicic (2004, 2005), Jonathan Bender (2000), and Darryl Dawkins (1977).
RICK CARLISLE, Dallas Mavericks coach, 60 years old, 188 games over five seasons, retired in 1990 The last pickup game I played in was in 2000. This was a pretty compelling thing to observe if you’re any kind of historian. It was me, Derrick McKey, Chris Mullin and Larry Bird against Al Harrington, Jonathan Bender, Jeff Foster and Zan Tabak. We played a three-game series. It was tied 1-1. In the third game, Bird came off a screen on the right side, caught and shot a 17-footer high above Jeff Foster’s outreached hand. The ball went straight up in the air and straight through the basket without touching the rim at all. Larry and I looked at each other and basically said, ‘We’re done with this after today.’ The game-winner will probably never be able to be topped. Plus, physically, playing against those guys, Foster was so strong and so dynamic that it was dangerous being out there. Larry and I both realized it. That was the last time I ever did it. And I’m positive that was the last time he did it too. I was 41 at the time.
While players such as Antoine Walker, Allen Iverson, and Kenny Anderson have blown NBA fortunes, Bender delved into the business world with much the same vigor as the basketball court, and has turned into a financial maven, earning millions on his business ventures. Bender earned $30 million during his NBA career but has become the model for post-career prosperity by developing his own back apparatus designed to help joint pain in the shoulders, knees, and back, and rehabilitate chronic soreness.
Bender said he began wearing the instrument during his playing days, allowing for his comeback with the Knicks, and the 33-year-old is a shining example of a successful post-NBA life, despite never reaching his on-court potential. The key to his success, Bender said, was preparation. Unlike a litter of prep-to-pros prospects anticipating a 15-year career, Bender said he began to save and invest his money during his early years with the Indiana Pacers after being a first-round pick in 1999. “I would see other business guys and the way they would carry themselves and they were just very interesting,” he said. “The whole business atmosphere was very interesting. When you really dig into the root of what we have going on as far as athletes, there’s a shelf life. We’re not going to be able to produce for the long run. Someday it was going to stop and I knew that at an early age. And I knew I wasn’t a financial wizard.”
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An inventor's mind with a salesman's drive, Bender walked into a Relax the Back store in Sugarland, Tex., one afternoon and met the manager, who told him he suffered from the lower-back condition sciatica. "Try this out," Bender told him, confidently handing him his MedPro. It didn't take long. The manager, so startled by its effectiveness, bought one on the spot. "He told me it eased his pain between 60 and 70 percent," Bender says.
Similar stories soon followed. One elderly man who, after a nasty motorcycle accident, hadn't been able to walk up stairs in 20 years. That was until he tried Bender's product. "The best part of all of this is seeing his passion," says Bernice, now Bender's wife. "He's not wishing he was still playing basketball. More than anything, he loves helping people, like that old man who had some of the same pain he did."
Bender has partnered with Relax the Back and is now selling his MedPro (retail: $199) off his own website. The byproduct of Bender's imaginative mind that day in a Houston park has spawned a company — JB3 Enterprises — and a product that has propelled revenue growth of 40 percent month-over-month since December. He aims for more. While the current MedPro model has found a home among baby boomers (Bender himself sold 300 units his first two months), he hopes to soon polish off a model designed for serious athletes.
Unlike the stereotypical professional athlete (“we’ve been raised not to really use our brains,” he says), Bender had always been a deep thinker. He remembers an epiphany he had while sitting on another bench, at the Pacers game in 2005. He looked over at then-owner Mel Simon, in one of the few games the billionaire attended, and started to wonder how the mall construction magnate had gotten there. “Those guys,” Bender says, speaking of NBA owners, “I always thought owning the team was their big business. But when I did some investigating, I realized this was just a side thing to them. It was like their board game,” he said.
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