Anthony Bennett (basketball)

Anthony Harris Bennett (born March 14, 1993) is a Canadian professional basketball player for Al-Najma of the Bahraini Premier League. He played college basketball for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) for one year. 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 per game, and has been named the worst number-one pick in league history.

Bennett was born on March 14, 1993, in Toronto, Ontario. He 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. After the school closed a year later, Bennett moved to Henderson, Nevada, to play for the basketball preparatory academy Findlay Prep. 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.^{[better source needed]} His minutes were cut to allow him to rest and he even came off the bench in a few games. UNLV received an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament and lost in the Round of 64 to California.

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.