NBA Veteran Brandon Jennings Acquired by Wisconsin Herd
NBA veteran point guard Brandon Jennings has just been acquired by the Wisconsin Herd, the G-League affiliate to the Milwaukee Bucks. This signing is somewhat of a homecoming for Jennings, considering that he was the Bucks’ 10th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.
Jennings played for the Milwaukee Bucks for four seasons, averaging 17 points and 5.7 assists per game. He also set a franchise rookie record with 55 points in a game on November 14, 2009. Jennings also led the Bucks to the playoffs in his rookie year, but eventually lost to the Atlanta Hawks in seven games.
In the 2012-13 season, his fourth and final year for the Bucks, Jennings paired with shooting guard Monte Ellis to form one of the most offensively potent backcourts in the NBA that year. The Bucks reached the playoffs a second time in four years, but would lose to the eventual NBA champions–Miami Heat.
Jennings was later signed and traded to the Detroit Pistons, where he played for three seasons before being traded to the Orlando Magic. He then moved on to the New York Knicks for most of the season until he was waived on February 27, 2017. Jennings played for the Washington Wizards for the remainder of that season, and then signed with the Shanxi Brave Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association. He was waived by the Brave Dragons on December 9th, 2017.
Jennings was the number one high school basketball recruit coming out of Oak Hill Academy in 2008, and was desired by most of the top tier college programs. However, his goal of playing in the NBA was more imperative than playing in college. Since Jennings could not declare for the 2008 NBA draft due to the age restriction of having to be 19 years of age, he famously de-commited from attending any American college program and decided to play overseas in Italy. He was the first American basketball player to pass on the college ranks and play professionally in the Euroleague.
By Joshua Hamer