NBA.com: Mario Bennett Bio

Mario Bennett, a 6-10 standout at Arizona State, missed most of his rookie season with the Phoenix Suns while recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. After he was activated on March 1, 1996, he appeared in 19 games for the Suns and made 14 starts, although his playing time was limited. Bennett was an early entry candidate for the 1995 NBA Draft despite having been in school for four years, because he missed the entire 1992-93 season recovering from knee surgery. Although he played only three seasons, he placed first all-time in school history in blocked shots (191) and field goal percentage (.587) and was eighth in rebounding (675). During the 1994-95 campaign he set the Pac-10 single-season mark for blocks with 115, and he became only the third player in Sun Devils history to net 600 or more points in a season. The powerful forward finished his career with 219 dunks. Bennett missed all of 1992-93 and the first six games of the 1993-94 campaign while recovering from left knee surgery to repair anterior cruciate ligament tears. Selected by the Suns on the first round of the 1995 NBA Draft with the 27th overall pick, Bennett was the top rebounder in preseason for Phoenix with 8.8 rpg. But he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Nov. 1 and spent four months on the injured list before finally playing in 19 late-season game for the Suns. He was signed by the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent on September 21, 1997 and played in 45 games in 1997-98, averaging 3.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in limited action. Prior to the 1998-99 season, Mario Bennett signed with the Chicago Bulls as a free agent.

1999-2000 REGULAR SEASON
Signed to a 10-day contract by the L.A. Clippers on 3/7

1998-1999 REGULAR SEASON
Waived by the Bulls on 2/16

1997-1998 REGULAR SEASON
Recorded 18 points, a career-high 14 rebounds and 4 steals against the Phoenix Suns on 4/10 Totaled 12 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocked shots and 3 steals in a 113-102 victory against the Vancouver Grizzlies on 4/8 Posted a career-high 21 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, in his first start of the season, in a 105-93 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on 4/3 Registered 17 points, 13 rebounds and 4 steals in a 131-92 victory over the Denver Nuggets on 2/19 Recorded 6 points (3-4 FG), 5 rebounds and 3 blocked shots, in 12 minutes, in a 122-115 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on 2/3 Totaled 8 points (3-4 FG) and 3 rebounds, in 7 minutes, in a 132-114 victory over the Denver Nuggets on 1/14 Posted 11 points (5-6 FG) and 3 rebounds, in 6 minutes, in a 132-97 victory over the Golden State Warriors on 11/9

1995-1996 REGULAR SEASON
Bennett opened his rookie season on the injured list, having undergone arthroscopic surgery to repair torn lateral meniscus cartilage in his left knee on Nov. 1, 1995. He missed 55 games before being activated on March 1. After two games as a DNP-CD, he made his first NBA appearance in a starting role against Indiana on March 5 and had eight points three rebounds and one steal in 19 minutes, heping the Suns to a 108-95 victory. He went on to average 4.5 points and 2.6 rebounds in 12.1 minutes per game in 19 appearances, including 14 starts. He scored a career-high 12 points, shooting 5-for-6 from the field, at Golden State on March 23 and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds at Sacramento on April 17. Bennett played in two playoff games, getting four points and three rebounds in a total of eight minutes.