Anthony Harris Bennett (born March 14, 1993) is a Canadian former professional basketball player.
He played college basketball for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
2012
He was the #1 forward and the #7 player overall in the high school class of 2012 according to ESPNU 100, the #7 player by Scout.com, and the #7 player by Rivals.com.
While initially receiving interest from many teams, Bennett narrowed down his college choices to Oregon and UNLV.
He committed to UNLV under head coach Dave Rice on May 12, 2012.
During the 2012–13 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball season, Bennett played 35 games.
While mostly starting at power forward, he would occasionally play small forward.
He averaged 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds a game despite only averaging 27.1 minutes a game due to injury.
He shot 53.3% from the field overall and 37.5% from three-point range.
He was extremely efficient in college, averaging a PER of 28.3.
Halfway through the season, Bennett was plagued with a shoulder injury.
His minutes were cut to allow him to rest and he even came off the bench in a few games.
After making it to the NCAA tournament, UNLV lost in the second round to California.
2013
He was the first overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, becoming the first Canadian to be drafted number one overall.
He played only four seasons in the NBA, averaging 4.4 points, and is often considered the worst number-one pick in league history.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Bennett was raised in the city's Jane and Finch neighbourhood, and in nearby Brampton, to where he moved at age ten.
He is the son of Edith Bennett, a nurse who is originally from Jamaica, and Delroy Harris.
He also has an older sister, Danielle, and an older brother, Sheldon.
Edith raised her family as a single mother, working two jobs, at a hospital and a mental health facility.
As a teenager in Jamaica, his mother ran track and field and played netball.
Bennett attended Harold M. Brathwaite Secondary School in Brampton.
At age 16, he relocated to Beckley, West Virginia to play basketball for Mountain State Academy, and after the school closed a year later, he moved to Henderson, Nevada to play for the basketball preparatory academy Findlay Prep.
In April 2013, Bennett declared for the NBA draft, foregoing his final three years of college eligibility.
In May 2013, he underwent elective surgery for sleep apnea and asthma.
Bennett was one of thirteen players invited to the green room for the 2013 NBA draft, meaning he was expected to be chosen as a top lottery pick.
He was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, making him the first Canadian ever to be selected first overall in an NBA draft.
On August 20, 2013, Bennett signed a 2-year, $10.9 million rookie scale contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After producing multiple mediocre performances to begin his rookie season, he was ranked by some as one of the worst first overall picks in recent memory.
He did not score a field goal until his fifth NBA game, and missed his first 16 shot attempts in 43 minutes of playing time.
For the 2013–2014 season, he played 52 games while averaging 4.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game.
2014
On January 28, 2014, Bennett recorded 15 points and 8 rebounds in a 100–89 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
It was the first double-figure scoring game in his NBA career, coming after 33 games—three times as long as any previous No. 1 overall pick.
Almost two-thirds of all previous top picks scored in double digits in their first game.
On February 11, 2014, Bennett recorded his first career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds in a 109–99 win over the Sacramento Kings.
In July 2014, Bennett joined the Cavaliers for the 2014 NBA Summer League where he averaged 13.3 points in four games.
On August 23, 2014, Bennett was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a three-team trade involving the Cavaliers and the Philadelphia 76ers.
On October 19, 2014, the Timberwolves exercised their third-year team option on Bennett's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2015–16 season.
On November 21, 2014, he scored a career-high 20 points in a 121–92 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
After recovering from the injury, Bennett appeared in just four more games to finish the 2014–2015 season.
2015
On February 21, 2015, he was ruled out for two weeks due to an injured right ankle he sustained the day before playing against the Phoenix Suns.
