Sports
Kent Benson
born 1954 · basketball player
Former No. 1 overall pick and 1976 NCAA champion who anchored the Pistons' center position for six seasons in the early 1980s.
- Born
New Castle, Indiana
age 71- Birth name
- Michael Kent Benson
- Detroit years
- 1980–1986
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Kent Benson had already led Indiana to a perfect 32–0 season and the 1976 NCAA championship, earning tournament Most Outstanding Player honors, when Milwaukee made him the top overall pick in the 1977 NBA draft. In 1980 the Bucks traded him to Detroit for Bob Lanier, and Benson spent six seasons as the Pistons' starting center, playing alongside a young Isiah Thomas as the franchise rebuilt. In 1986 Detroit traded him and Kelly Tripucka to Utah for Adrian Dantley, a deal that helped fuel the Pistons' run to the 1987 and 1988 Eastern Conference finals and the 1988 NBA Finals.
Highlights
- 1976 NCAA champion and Final Four Most Outstanding Player with Indiana
- No. 1 overall pick in the 1977 NBA draft
- Traded to the Pistons for Bob Lanier in 1980
- Detroit's starting center from 1980 to 1986
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Played here · 1980–1986
Pontiac Silverdome
Demolished · 1975–1988
The Pistons' home during his six Detroit seasons; the dome was demolished in 2017–2018.