| Position | Guard |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft |
| Height in | 6 |
| Weight lb | 200 |
| Number | 25 |
| Birth date | February 24, 1978 (age 48) |
| Birth place | Compton, California, U.S. |
| High school | Fontana (Fontana, California) |
| College | Oregon State (1996–1998) |
| Draft year | 1998 |
| Draft round | 1 |
| Draft pick | 28 |
| Draft team | Chicago Bulls |
| Career start | 1998 |
| Career end | 2008 |
| Years 1 | – |
| Team 1 | Chicago Bulls |
| Years 2 | 2001 |
| Team 2 | Sutor Montegranaro |
| Years 3 | 2002 |
| Team 3 | Liaoning Flying Leopards |
| Years 4 | 2002 |
| Team 4 | Southern California Surf |
| Team 5 | Atlanta Hawks |
| Years 6 | 2002–2003 |
| Team 6 | North Charleston Lowgators |
| Years 7 | 2003–2004 |
| Team 7 | Chalonnais |
| Years 8 | 2004–2005 |
| Team 8 | Xinjiang Flying Tigers |
| Years 9 | 2005–2006 |
| Team 9 | Guaros de Lara |
| Years 10 | 2006 |
| Team 10 | Conquistadores de Guaynabo |
| Years 11 | 2006–2007 |
| Team 11 | Benfica |
| Years 12 | 2007–2008 |
| Team 12 | Daegu Orions |
| Stat1label | Points |
| Stat1value | 835 (5.5 ppg) |
| Stat2label | Rebounds |
| Stat2value | 259 (1.7 rpg) |
| Stat3label | Assists |
| Stat3value | 143 (0.9 apg) |
| Highlights |
|
Corey Dwight Benjamin[1] (born February 24, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the NBA from 1998 to 2003. He graduated from Fontana High School[2] in Fontana, California, then played college basketball for Oregon State University, and was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round (28th overall) of the 1998 NBA draft.
NBA career
Benjamin stayed with the Bulls for three seasons, and during the 2002–03 campaign, he signed a pair of 10-day contracts to play for the Atlanta Hawks. Between his stints with Chicago and Atlanta, he played for Sutor Montegranaro in Italy, and the Southern California Surf in the American Basketball Association. He also suited up for the North Charleston Lowgators in the NBDL (now known as the NBA G League).
Benjamin is also known for an incident where he mentioned to teammate Randy Brown that he could beat Michael Jordan in a one-on-one game. Jordan had just retired, but he showed up at a Bulls practice to completely embarrass Benjamin in an 11–3 rout.[3][4]
International career
Benjamin spent the final five years of his career playing abroad, first heading to France's Ligue Nationale de Basketball with Chalonnais for the 2003–04 season, followed by a stint in China for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association in 2004–05.
Heading to Latin America for the 2005–06 campaign, Benjamin next joined the Guaros de Lara in Venezuela's Liga Profesional de Baloncesto, followed by a spell in Puerto Rico's Baloncesto Superior Nacional with the Conquistadores de Guaynabo.
Benjamin then returned to Europe to play for Benfica in Portugal during the 2006–07 season.[5][6] He wrapped up his overseas career with a second stint in Asia the following winter, going to South Korea to compete in the Korean Basketball League with the Daegu Orions.
Career statistics
NBA
|- | align="left" | 1998–99 | align="left" | Chicago | 31 || 1 || 10.3 || .376 || .214 || .675 || 1.3 || 0.3 || 0.4 || 0.3 || 3.8 |- | align="left" | 1999–00 | align="left" | Chicago | 48 || 10 || 18.0 || .414 || .348 || .598 || 1.8 || 1.1 || 0.6 || 0.5 || 7.7 |- | align="left" | 2000–01 | align="left" | Chicago | 65 || 5 || 13.2 || .381 || .259 || .675 || 1.5 || 1.1 || 0.4 || 0.2 || 4.7 |- | align="left" | 2002–03 | align="left" | Atlanta | 9 || 0 || 16.9 || .302 || .154 || .750 || 3.4 || 1.1 || 0.1 || 0.2 || 4.4 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 153 || 16 || 14.3 || .390 || .289 || .652 || 1.7 || 0.9 || 0.5 || 0.3 || 5.5 |}
College
|- | align="left" | 1996-97 | align="left" | Oregon State | 23 || 17 || 26.1 || .432 || .315 || .653 || 4.0 || 1.3 || 1.1 || 0.5 || 14.9 |- | align="left" | 1997–98 | align="left" | Oregon State | 25 || 22 || 26.9 || .539 || .293 || .713 || 5.0 || 2.2 || 1.9 || 0.7 || 19.8 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 48 || 39 || 26.5 || .491 || .305 || .688 || 4.5 || 1.8 || 1.5 || 0.6 || 17.5 |}
Personal life
While a member of the Oregon State Beavers, Benjamin played on the same team as his older brother, Sonny.[7]
In 2000 Benjamin was arrested and charged with one count of domestic battery.[8] He was arrested again in 2016.[9]
In 2021, Benjamin apologised after a video of his daughter punching another player during a basketball game went viral. [10]
References
- ^ "Corey Dwight Benjamin, Born 02/24/1978 in California". CaliforniaBirthIndex.org. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
- ^ "Corey Benjamin". Basketball Reference. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ Bayless, Skip. "JORDAN BACK IN GYM TONING UP (NO, THAT'S NOT WHY)," CHICAGO TRIBUNE (Nov. 28, 1999).
- ^ Remembering When A Retired Michael Jordan Came By The Bulls Practice To Accept A Challenge From Corey Benjamin
- ^ L C B – Liga dos Clubes de Basquetebol
- ^ Basquetebol 2006/2007 Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ Baum, Bob (February 27, 1997). "High school star Benjamin ready for homecoming". AP News. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ Johnson, K.C (October 19, 2000). "BENJAMIN'S ARREST CLOUDS BULLS FUTURE". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ "Teenager Banned From Multiple Girls Basketball Tournaments Following Incidents Of On-Court Violence". CBS News. November 11, 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ Kaplan, Anna. "Mother Charged For Urging Daughter To 'Hit' Basketball Opponent, Calif. DA Says". Forbes. Retrieved 19 September 2022.