Dragan Bender Articles - Page 2

Dragan Bender had by all accounts a disappointing rookie year with the Phoenix Suns. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft suffered a season-ending ankle injury which limited him to 43 games. However, even before the injury, he struggled to make an impact as he averaged just 3.4 points and 2.4 rebounds […]

With the NBA now in its offseason, a lot of players are having a chance to spend more time with their families, and even taking vacations. For international team members, they are taking part in tournaments in different continents, like in Europe, where a number of them are slated to compete. The Croatian national team […]

Although 19-year-old Dragan Bender hasn’t featured for the Phoenix Suns as regularly as many had anticipated so far this season, Suns head coach Earl Watson affirmed his belief in the Croatian big man. On Wednesday, the Suns managed to outscore the Orlando Magic by seven points during the 13 minutes in which Bender was on […]

Tyson Chandler has not resumed any basketball activities since the passing of his mother earlier this week, and it appears that won’t end anytime soon. The Phoenix Suns big man has taken a leave of absence after missing the last two games to grieve with his family and friends. The Suns released a statement on Wednesday on […]

The NBA will tipped off Tuesday with international players making up one-quarter of the league’s active rosters, according to the Associated Press. The association has 113 international players coming from 41 countries and territories around the world out of the total 450 players that make up the league’s roster. The NBA said on Tuesday that the […]

The Phoenix Suns‘ Dragan Bender may still be a rookie in the NBA, but he is not new to basketball as he has been playing professionally since 2013. With that being said, it is expected that he knows how to pass the ball. But during his team’s preseason game against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, […]

The comparison was inevitable. A year after the New York Knicks struck gold drafting Kristaps Porzingis in the lottery, another 7-foot European skilled big man is getting compared to, and sometimes referred to, as “the next Porzingis.” Phoenix Suns rookie Dragan Bender would rather make a name for himself though. “There are some similarities,” Bender […]

The list of Adidas-sponsored players in the NBA just got longer. The sporting goods brand struck gold and signed six out of the top ten picks in this year’s draft to multi-year deals. Add Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram, Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, Phoenix Suns forward/center Dragan Bender, Minnesota Timberwolves […]

The Phoenix Suns have now completed their coaching staff for the coming season. Head coach Earl Watson named  Jay Triano as associate head coach and Tyrone Corbin and Nate Bjorkgren as assistant coaches. Triano is the current national team coach of Canada and was the first ever Canadian-born head coach in NBA history when he was […]

This year’s NBA draft fared well for foreign prospects. Of the first 30 players taken in the draft, eight came from outside the U.S. At the top of that list was Croatia’s Dragan Bender, an unknown quantity heading into the draft who was picked up by the Phoenix Suns with the fourth pick. At the […]

It was a big night for number one draft prospect Ben Simmons. So big that the cameramen couldn’t wait to get their shots of him before he entered the arena. One particular cameraman was so focused on Simmons as he walked backwards to film, that he didn’t see Dragon Bender behind him. He fell over on the […]

European prospect Dragan Bender has been heralded as a possible surprise star in this year’s NBA Draft, but in recent weeks, that interest has been shaky. The 7’ 1” post is a strong defender around the rim and can also score from outside, along with using his obvious size to make power plays in the […]

The NBA draft lottery was a very nerve-racking event for the Los Angeles Lakers organization and their fans. They needed to receive a top-3 pick to hold onto their selection, and they rejoiced when their logo came up at second overall. Just keeping the pick was crucial towards the Lakers’ continued rebuilding process going into […]