Benoit Benjamin

Lenard Benoit Benjamin (born November 22 1964, in Monroe, Louisiana) is a retired American professional basketball player who was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 1st round (3rd overall) of the 1985 NBA Draft. A 7'0" center from Creighton University, Benjamin played for nine NBA teams in 15 seasons from 1985-2000. He played for the Clippers (1985-91), Seattle SuperSonics (1991-93), Los Angeles Lakers (1993, 1999 preseason), New Jersey Nets (1993-95), Vancouver Grizzlies (1995), Milwaukee Bucks (1995-96), Toronto Raptors (1996), Philadelphia 76ers (1998-99) and Cleveland Cavaliers (1999). [ [http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/benjabe01.html Benjamin NBA career stats] ]

Benjamin's best year as a professional came during the 1988-89 NBA season as a member of the Clippers, appearing in 79 games and averaging 16.4 ppg. In his NBA career, he had a .541 field goal percentage, 4,604 defensive rebounds, 1,581 blocks and averaged 11.4 Points and 2.0 Blocks Per Game.

He is the Clippers' career leader in blocked shots (1,117) and in blocked shots per game (2.75).

In the mid-1980s he was considered one of the greatest up-and-coming stars of the game. Benjamin never became the breakout player intended for such a high draft pick, but he did average double-digits in points and rebounds per game for most of the first half of his career. Benjamin also played overseas, in Peristeri, Greece and in South America as well as for the Harlem Globetrotters.

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