Indianapolis, IN (My Sportsbook) - The Indiana Pacers announced Thursday that forwards Ron Artest and Jonathan Bender signed contract extensions. Per club policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed. The 6-7 Artest is in his first full season with Indiana after being acquired on February 19 of this year from the Bulls. He was the 16th overall pick of Chicago in the 1999 NBA Draft. "It feels good to be playing with a good organization," said Artest. "I said all along that I wanted to re-sign with the Pacers. Now I can focus on playing winning basketball and winning a championship." In 204 career games, Artest has posted averages of 12.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists. The 7-0 Bender was selected fifth overall by Toronto in the 1999 NBA Draft. His draft rights were then traded to Indiana. In three-plus seasons with the Pacers, Bender has averaged 5.2 points and 2.1 boards per contest. "It feels great to know that I will be a member of the Indiana Pacers for years to come," said Bender. |
