Anthony Bennett (basketball) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Anthony Bennett

Bennett in 2013
No. 17 – Formosa Dreamers
Power forward
Personal information
Born	(1993-03-14) March 14, 1993 (age 32) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
High school	Harold M. Brathwaite (Brampton, Ontario) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nevada)
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
College	UNLV (2012–2013)
NBA Draft	2013 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers
Pro career	2013–present
League	Taiwan Professional Basketball League
Career history
2013–2014	Cleveland Cavaliers
2014–2015	Minnesota Timberwolves
2015–2016	Toronto Raptors
2015–2016	→Raptors 905
2016–2017	Brooklyn Nets
2016	→Long Island Nets
2017	Fenerbahçe
2017	Northern Arizona Suns
2017–2018	Maine Red Claws
2018–2019	Agua Caliente Clippers
2021–2022	Hapoel Jerusalem
2022	Kaohsiung Steelers
2022–2023	Hsinchu JKO Lioneers
2023	Kaohsiung 17LIVE Steelers
2024–present	Formosa Dreamers
Career highlights and awards
EuroLeague champion (2017) AP honorable mention All-American (2013) MWC Freshman of the Year (2013) First-team All-MWC (2013) McDonald's All-American (2012)
Medals Men's basketball Representing  Canada FIBA AmeriCup Bronze 2015 Mexico City Pan American Games Silver 2015 Toronto FIBA World U17 Cup Bronze 2010 Hamburg Under-17 FIBA Americas U16 Championship Bronze 2009 Mendoza Under-16

Anthony Harris Bennett (born March 14, 1993) is a Canadian professional basketball player. He currently plays for the Formosa Dreamers in the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL). Before turning pro, he played college basketball for one year at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).

In 2013, Anthony Bennett made history as the first overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft. He was chosen by the Cleveland Cavaliers, becoming the first Canadian player ever to be drafted number one in the NBA. He played in the NBA for four seasons.

Early Life and High School Basketball

Anthony Bennett was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He grew up in Toronto and later moved to Brampton when he was ten. His mother, Edith Bennett, was a nurse from Jamaica who raised Anthony and his two older siblings, Danielle and Sheldon, by herself. She worked two jobs to support her family.

When he was 16, Anthony moved to Beckley, West Virginia to play basketball at Mountain State Academy. A year later, he moved to Henderson, Nevada to attend Findlay Prep, another special basketball school. He was considered one of the top high school basketball players in the country in 2012.

Many colleges wanted Anthony to play for them. He decided to join the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team in May 2012.

College Career at UNLV

During the 2012–13 college basketball season, Anthony Bennett played 35 games for UNLV. He mostly played as a power forward but sometimes played small forward.

He scored about 16.1 points and grabbed 8.1 rebounds per game. He did this even though he only played about 27.1 minutes per game because of an injury. He was very good at shooting, making 53.3% of his shots overall and 37.5% of his three-point shots.

Anthony had a shoulder injury during the season, which sometimes limited his playing time. UNLV made it to the NCAA tournament but lost in the second round.

In April 2013, Anthony decided to leave college early to enter the NBA draft. This meant he gave up his last three years of college basketball. Before the draft, he had surgery for sleep apnea and asthma.

Professional Basketball Journey

NBA Draft and Cleveland Cavaliers (2013–2014)

Anthony Bennett was one of the top players expected to be chosen early in the 2013 NBA draft. The Cleveland Cavaliers picked him first overall, making him the first Canadian to be the number one pick in an NBA draft.

He signed a contract with the Cavaliers in August 2013. His first season in the NBA was challenging. He didn't score his first basket until his fifth game.

Bennett taking a free throw for the Cavaliers in October 2013

On January 28, 2014, Anthony scored 15 points and had 8 rebounds in a game against the New Orleans Pelicans. This was his first time scoring double figures in an NBA game. On February 11, 2014, he achieved his first "double-double" (scoring double digits in two categories) with 19 points and 10 rebounds. For the season, he played 52 games, averaging 4.2 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2014–2015)

In August 2014, Anthony was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a three-team deal.

On November 21, 2014, he scored a career-high 20 points in a game against the San Antonio Spurs. He later missed two weeks due to an ankle injury. He finished the season averaging 5.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. In September 2015, the Timberwolves released him from his contract.

Toronto Raptors (2015–2016)

In September 2015, Anthony signed with his hometown team, the Toronto Raptors. He played his first game for them on October 30.

In December, he became the first NBA number one overall draft pick to play in the NBA Development League (now called the G-League). He played for the Raptors' minor league team, Raptors 905, to get more playing time. He was sent to Raptors 905 a few more times during the season. The Raptors released him in March 2016.

Brooklyn Nets (2016–2017)

Anthony signed with the Brooklyn Nets in July 2016. He played his first game for them on October 29. On November 18, he scored a season-high 12 points.

He was also assigned to the Nets' G-League team, the Long Island Nets, multiple times. On December 3, he started his first game of the season and had a career-high 14 rebounds. The Nets released him in January 2017.

Fenerbahçe (2017)

In January 2017, Anthony moved to Turkey to play for Fenerbahçe in the Turkish Basketball Super League. He played 10 games in the EuroLeague, a top European basketball competition.

Fenerbahçe went on to win their first-ever EuroLeague title in 2017. Anthony was released by the team in May 2017.

NBA G League and International Play (2017–Present)

After playing in Turkey, Anthony returned to the United States and joined the Northern Arizona Suns in the NBA G League in October 2017. He later played for the Maine Red Claws and the Agua Caliente Clippers in the G League.

In 2019, he signed with the Houston Rockets but was released after having knee surgery. He then played for Cangrejeros de Santurce in Puerto Rico in 2021.

From 2021 to 2022, Anthony played for Hapoel Jerusalem in Israel. He then moved to Taiwan, playing for the Kaohsiung Steelers in 2022 and the Hsinchu JKO Lioneers from 2022 to 2023. In 2023, he briefly joined a team in Korea before returning to Taiwan.

Since December 2024, Anthony Bennett has been playing for the Formosa Dreamers in the Taiwan Professional Basketball League.

National Team Career

Anthony Bennett has proudly represented Canada in international basketball tournaments. He helped the Canadian national team win bronze medals at the 2009 FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship and the 2010 FIBA Under-17 World Championship. In the 2010 tournament, he played alongside Andrew Wiggins, who was the number one overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft.

In July 2015, Anthony played for the Canadian national team at the 2015 Pan American Games in his hometown of Toronto. He helped Canada win a silver medal, including a big win against the United States in the semi-finals. In that tournament, he averaged 15.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.

Player Profile

When Anthony Bennett was drafted into the NBA, people compared him to Larry Johnson. Larry Johnson was also a great player from UNLV and a former number one overall NBA draft pick.

Career Statistics

NBA

Regular season

EuroLeague

IBSL

College

See also

In Spanish: Anthony Bennett para niños

• List of Canadians in the National Basketball Association