Nine of the projected top-10 picks in the June 23 NBA Draft are American college players. The tenth, Dragan Bender, made his intentions known on Wednesday morning.
ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla reported on Wednesday that the 7-foot-1, 18-year-old Croatian has declared for the NBA Draft, according to his NBA agent, Doug Neustadt.
Bender, the projected No. 3 pick, according to DraftExpress, declaring for the draft comes as no surprise. He has played professionally since he was 15, and spent this season with Euroleague power Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Bender made headlines last summer when, at the age of 17, he was called up to the Croatian Under-19 National Team for the FIBA Under-19 World Championships, but was unable to play. That stemmed from a sneaker dispute. Bender wears adidas, but the national team was outfitted in Jordan Brand.
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