Jun 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle speaks to the media after the Pacers defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder during game one of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Former NBA player Jonathan Bender entered the league with hype similar to LeBron James.
He wasn't "The Chosen One," but the expectations grew after a dominant 31-point performance in the 1999 McDonald's All-American Game. It elevated his status enough for the Indiana Pacers to select him out of high school with the No. 5 pick in the draft.
Turns out, the McDonald's Game was the last time Bender electrified a crowd. He played just 262 games in eight seasons, His best year was 2001-02 when he averaged 7.4 points and 3.1 assists.
After retiring in 2010, Bender found hope off the court but still near it.
“I wasn’t gonna sit around and mope,” Bender told [Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson](https://scoopb.com/2025/06/jonathan-bender-the-promise-the-pain-and-the-purpose/). “I still had ideas, creativity, vision.”
Some of Bender's NBA struggles were pinned on chronic knee problems. He wanted to prevent others from having the same fate. In 2013, he launched the JB Intensive Trainer.