Jonathan Bender’s Jump From High School To The NBA
Jonathan Bender’s Jump From High School To The NBA
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In a 2000 release, recording artist Nelly rapped: “I’m draftin’ ’em outta high school straight into the pros.” That was a reference to a then-growing trend among prep basketball stars: Bypassing college and entering the pro ranks as teenagers.
Just a year prior to Nelly’s release, Picayune, Mississippi, basketball star Jonathan Bender undertook his own version of those lyrics.
Although his commitment to Mississippi State proved to be a smokescreen to sidetrack the media, when Bender broke Michael Jordan’s McDonald’s All-American Games scoring record by netting 31 points, it solidified his decision to enter the NBA Draft. During his 11-year career, Bender would play for the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks before retiring in 2010, due to injuries.