| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1957-04-28)April 28, 1957 (age 68) Quantico, Virginia, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Bloomington (Bloomington, Illinois) |
| College | |
| NBA draft | 1979: 6th round, 119th overall pick |
| Drafted by | San Diego Clippers |
| Position | Point guard |
| Coaching career | 1983–2018 |
| Career history | |
Coaching | |
| 1983–1989 | Duke (assistant) |
| 1989–1993 | Illinois State |
| 1993–2002 | Washington |
| 2002–2004 | Philadelphia 76ers (assistant) |
| 2004–2013 | Atlanta Hawks (assistant) |
| 2013–2014 | Milwaukee Bucks (assistant) |
| 2015–2016 | Brooklyn Nets (scout) |
| 2016–2018 | Memphis Grizzlies (assistant) |
| Career highlights | |
As player:
As coach:
| |
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |
Robert Michael Bender (born April 28, 1957) is an American professionalbasketball coach, who last served an assistant coach with theMemphis Grizzlies of theNational Basketball Association.[1] Born inQuantico, Virginia, He attendedBloomington High School inBloomington, Illinois, where he was an All-American in basketball. Bender has the distinction of being the first (and until 2025 only)[a] individual to play for different programs in two NCAA Championship games. He was a freshman onBob Knight's undefeated1976 Indiana team and played point guard at Duke from 1977 to 1980, including an appearance in thetitle game againstKentucky. Bender was drafted by theSan Diego Clippers in the sixth round before his senior year, but did not play.[4]
He began his coaching career as an assistant at Duke underMike Krzyzewski. He later served as head coach atIllinois State University and theUniversity of Washington, and was an assistant with thePhiladelphia 76ers.[4]
Bender is married to his wife, Alice, with whom he has two children: Mary Elizabeth and Robert Michael Bender III.[4]
On June 17, 2013, Bender was hired as an assistant coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, under Larry Drew, of whom he was an assistant to at the Atlanta Hawks.[5]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois State Redbirds(Missouri Valley Conference)(1989–1993) | |||||||||
| 1989–90 | Illinois State | 18–13 | 9–5 | T–2nd | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 1990–91 | Illinois State | 5–23 | 4–12 | T–8th | |||||
| 1991–92 | Illinois State | 18–11 | 14–4 | T–1st | |||||
| 1992–93 | Illinois State | 19–10 | 13–5 | 1st | |||||
| Illinois State: | 60–57 (.513) | 40–26 (.606) | |||||||
| Washington Huskies(Pacific-10 Conference)(1993–2002) | |||||||||
| 1993–94 | Washington | 5–22 | 3–15 | 9th | |||||
| 1994–95 | Washington | 10–17[b] | 6–12 | T–7th | |||||
| 1995–96 | Washington | 16–12 | 9–9 | T–5th | NIT First Round | ||||
| 1996–97 | Washington | 17–11 | 10–8 | 6th | NIT First Round | ||||
| 1997–98 | Washington | 20–10 | 11–7 | 4th | NCAA Division I Sweet 16 | ||||
| 1998–99 | Washington | 17–12 | 10–8 | 4th | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 1999–00 | Washington | 10–20 | 5–13 | T–8th | |||||
| 2000–01 | Washington | 10–20 | 4–14 | T–9th | |||||
| 2001–02 | Washington | 11–18 | 5–13 | 8th | |||||
| Washington: | 116–142 (.450) | 63–99 (.389) | |||||||
| Total: | 176–199 (.469) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||