Mario Bennett
Mario Bennett | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 1, 1973 United States |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player (retired) |
| Years active | 1995–2011 |
Mario Marcell Bennett (born August 1, 1973) is a retired American professional basketball athlete.
College career
As the youngest among four siblings, Bennett declared for the 1995 NBA Draft following four years at college, despite sitting out the entire 1992–93 season due to knee surgery. During three active seasons, he set school benchmarks for blocked shots (191) and field goal percentage (.587), while also ranking eighth all-time in rebounds (675). In the 1994–95 season, he broke the Pac-10 record for blocks in a single year with 115 and became only the third player from the Sun Devils to surpass 600 points in one season. Bennett concluded his collegiate tenure with a total of 219 dunks. He missed all games in 1992–93 and the first six contests of 1993–94 as he recovered from ACL surgery.
Across 87 contests, Bennett averaged 32.3 minutes, 15.7 points on 58.7% shooting, alongside 7.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game.
NBA career
Chosen by the Phoenix Suns as the 27th overall pick in the first round of the 1995 NBA Draft, Bennett was the first Sun Devil selected in over a decade since Byron Scott. He led Phoenix in preseason rebounding with an average of 8.8 per game before undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on November 1. After being sidelined for four months, he appeared in 19 games late in the season before being released on October 29, 1996. During the 1996–97 season, Bennett posted averages of 8.0 points and 6.3 rebounds across seven games in the CBA with Grand Rapids and Yakima.
On September 21, 1997, Bennett signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers, participating in 45 games during the 1997–98 campaign and averaging 3.9 points and 2.8 rebounds in limited playing time. He then joined the Chicago Bulls as a free agent on January 31, 1999, but was waived shortly thereafter on February 16, 1999. Bennett played a single game for the Los Angeles Clippers in the 1999–2000 season.
Over his NBA tenure, Bennett averaged 4.0 points (with shooting splits of 54.4% FG and 51.1% FT) and grabbed 2.7 rebounds per game while logging an average of 8.9 minutes on court. His career highs include scoring 21 points and securing 14 rebounds in a game.
Overseas career
Bennett began his international basketball journey with Montpellier in 2003 before joining the San Miguel Beermen of the Philippine Basketball Association. Returning to France, he performed strongly with Paris Basket Racing prior to signing with Russia's Avtodor Saratov, where he departed on friendly terms after only a few appearances.
Following another period in the CBA, he signed with Fastlink Aman in Jordan; however, persistent knee problems shortened his stint there. After undergoing surgery, he continued his career with KB Mabetex Prishtina in Kosovo.
At age 32, Bennett played for Dijon under coach Monclar, averaging double figures with approximately 10 points and nine rebounds per game. His performance earned him an All-Star nod before a metatarsal injury prematurely ended his season in early 2007.
In January of 2011, Bennett was involved in a violent altercation at a nightclub located in Bucharest, sustaining injuries to his head and leg.
External links
- Stats @ lnb.fr