Former Pacers HC Larry Bird Believes Injury Ruined Career of Potential Superstar Pacer

In a sense, Jonathan Bender was supposed to be what Tyrese Haliburton currently is for the Indiana Pacers.

Bender was billed as the next face of the franchise in Indianapolis. He was selected No. 5 overall in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors. In a draft day deal, he was then shipped to Indiana for veteran big man Antonio Davis. Bender entered the NBA from Picayune Memorial High School in Mississippi.

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Bender joined an elite team coached by Larry Bird, It featured the likes of Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, Dale Davis, Mark Jackson, Sam Perkins, Jalen Rose, and Rik Smits. Bender was billed as a raw yet uber-athletic player with terrific skill and an immense ceiling. Many believed him to represent the new age wing similarly to what Kevin Durant developed into.

Do you remember Jonathan Bender? 6’11 SG/SF who was drafted back in 1999 out of HS. The initial prototype for Kevin Durant, never came close to his potential due to unfortunate knee injuries. pic.twitter.com/dkSspc2Wxq
— HeelTurn&Hooks (@bigphillyf87) June 14, 2025

Unfortunately for Bender, injuries effectively ruined his career. He played in only 24 games as a rookie. In seven years with the Pacers, Bender played in 237 of a possible 574 regular season games. A balky knee completely hindered any progress he made, and after parts of seven seasons, Indiana severed ties with the promising talent.

A Pacer I had high hopes on was Jonathan Bender. "Think Kevin Durant before there was a Kevin Durant, I've never drafted a player with more potential. I can tell you that without even thinking about it." Donnie Walsh#Pacers pic.twitter.com/FFAO9efJy9
— Michael Harvey (@kennewickmike) May 6, 2025

Bender sat out three-straight seasons trying to get healthy. He made a brief return in 2009-10 with the New York Knicks. However after appearing in 25 games at age 29, Bender never played in the NBA again.

Bender recently gave an interview with Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson in which he spoke about his career and the unfulfilled promise. Interesting enough, it was a quote from his former coach Bird that resonated with him immensely.

Jonathan Bender was once seen as the future of the NBA—tall, skilled and full of promise. While injuries told a different story, the former Indiana Pacers forward was ahead of his time and the blueprint for many of today's NBA forwards.

In my latest feature, @JonathanBender9… pic.twitter.com/Y59VBc3Bgx
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) June 6, 2025

"I don't know if people realize how much Larry believed in me. He would always say, 'When you're healthy, you're gonna change this league.' I just never stayed healthy long enough."

For his Pacers career, Bender averaged 5.6 PPG and 2.2 RPG on 41.8 percent from the floor and 33.7 percent from 3-point range. As an interesting point of reference, the four players drafted ahead of Bender included Elton Brand, Steve Francis, Baron Davis, and Lamar Odom.

Other noteworthy players Bender was selected ahead of include Manu Ginobili, Shawn Marion, Richard Hamilton, Ron Artest, Andre Kirilenko, and Wally Szczerbiak.

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