Brandon Jennings: Where is the Bucks legend now?
MILWAUKEE (BVM) – Brandon Jennings is known in many NBA circles as one of the first Americans to go from high school to the European pros, but in Milwaukee, the inventor of “Bucks in 6” is so much more.
Despite spending just four seasons in Milwaukee with the Bucks, Jennings has etched himself into the city’s basketball history. The former first-round draft pick can still be found in Milwaukee depending on the time of year and his post-basketball endeavors have resulted in a luxury streetwear brand.
Brandon Jennings’ early life
Born in Compton, California, Jennings attended Dominguez High School for his freshman and sophomore years. The Compton native then transferred to Oak Hill Academy (VA) ahead of his junior season and became one of the most highly sought-after recruits in the nation.
During his senior campaign, Jennings averaged 35.5 points and set the school record for points in a season (1,312). The impressive season earned him some of high school basketball’s most prestigious awards: The 2008 Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award, the 2007-08 Gatorade Player of the Year (Virginia), the 2008 Parade Magazine Player of the Year and the 2008 EA Sports Player of the Year.
Jennings led Oak Hill to a 41-1 record and the No. 1 ranking in the USA Today Super 25 list of high school squads. Meanwhile, he was rated as the nation’s No. 1 high school basketball player in the Class of 2008 by both ESPN and Scout.com.
Originally set to join USC, Jennings switched his commitment to the Arizona Wildcats, citing better academic faculty and a desire to play with Jerryd Bayless. But by June 2008, Jennings announced that he was considering making history by becoming the first American to skip college to play professionally in the Euroleague.
Because the NBA requires players to be at least 19 years old and one year removed from high school before entering the league, Jennings couldn’t enter the 2008 NBA Draft. Instead, he declared that his goal was to play in the NBA and that playing overseas (instead of at an American college) would be his best route to gain experience and earn money until he was eligible to join the league.
Brandon Jennings’ European professional career
Just a month after announcing his intention to skip college and play professionally, Jennings signed with Lottomatica Roma of the Italian Serie A on July 16, 2008, becoming the first American player to go straight from high school to play professionally for a European team since the NBA’s age restriction rule was implemented. The contract Jennings signed with Roma was worth $1.65 million guaranteed and soon after that, Under Armour inked him to a $2 million contract to showcase their products in the Euroleague.
During the 2008-09 season, Jennings averaged 5.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 17 minutes across 27 games. Jennings’ play didn’t improve much in 16 Euroleague games, averaging 7.6 points, but his 38.7 percent shooting from the field didn’t prevent him from being a top prospect in the 2009 NBA Draft.
Brandon Jennings’ NBA career
The Milwaukee Bucks selected Jennings with the 10th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, making him the first player who skipped college to play professional basketball in Europe to be drafted by an NBA team.
Jennings shined in his NBA debut on Oct. 30, 2009 – recording a near triple-double with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in 34 minutes – but the 6-foot-1 guard would make history once again just seven games into his NBA career.
On Nov. 14, 2009, Jennings scored a legendary 55 points in a win over fellow rookie Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Jennings became the youngest player to ever score 55 and it was the most points scored by a rookie since 1968 when Earl “The Pearl” Monroe dropped 56.
To make the feat even more impressive, Jennings was held scoreless in the first quarter which meant his 55 points came in just three quarters, including a 45-point second half.
13 YEARS AGO TODAY 🔥
Brandon Jennings in his 7th NBA game:55 PTS (21/34 FG, 7/8 3PT, 6/8 FT), 5 REB, 5 AST in 3 QUARTERS after going scoreless (0/3 FG) in the 1st quarter!pic.twitter.com/UzSuMZdSk9
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) November 14, 2022
Jennings started all 82 games as a rookie and led the Bucks to the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. Milwaukee would lose to the Atlanta Hawks in seven games, but Jennings finished third in Rookie of the Year voting and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
The Bucks’ star guard recorded his first NBA triple-double – 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists on Oct. 30, 2010 – early on in his second season but a broken left foot suffered on Dec. 15, 2010, caused him to miss 19 games during the 2010-11 season. Jennings would return in late January – and even dropped a season-high 37 points against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 25, 2011 – but the Bucks struggled during his absence and missed the playoffs.
The 2011-12 NBA season began in a lockout and with the schedule shortened, Jennings started all 66 games while putting up career-high averages of 19.1 points and 1.6 steals in 35.3 minutes as the Bucks missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
But in 2012, Jennings teamed up with Monta Ellis – who was acquired at the 2012 trade deadline – to form one of the NBA’s best backcourts that season. The result was a return to the postseason for the first time since Jennings’ rookie campaign.
The No. 8-seeded Bucks were swept by the reigning and eventual champions – the Miami Heat – but during that series, Jennings uttered a phrase that will forever live on in Bucks folklore.
When asked about his expectations for the series against Miami’s Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, Jennings said “Bucks in 6,” meaning the Bucks would win the series in six games. Despite being swept by the Heat that series, the legendary phrase later regained popularity during and after the Bucks’ 2021 NBA Finals run which the franchise won in six games.
Ironically, Milwaukee’s championship run began with a sweep of the Heat. Jennings was a fixture of the Bucks’ championship parade and the phrase “Bucks in 6” was engraved on the design of the championship rings.
Giannis and Brandon Jennings celebrating 'Bucks in 6'
Tuff.
(via questioniswhoisyou/IG) pic.twitter.com/aACpmPxd4t
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 22, 2021
Just months after the 2013 playoffs, Jennings was signed-and-traded to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Brandon Knight, Khris Middleton and Viacheslav Kravtsov. The former Buck agreed to a three-year contract reportedly worth $25 million and played in Detroit for four years before being traded to the Orlando Magic halfway through the 2016 season, along with Ersan Ilyasova, in exchange for Tobias Harris.
Jennings would go on to have short stints with the New York Knicks (2016) and Washington Wizards (2017) before signing a 10-day contract in 2018 with the franchise that drafted him. He would sign a multi-year contract on April 1, 2018 with the Bucks but was waived just four months later, effectively ending his NBA career.
Despite the relatively short-lived NBA career, Jennings can be found throughout the league’s and Bucks’ record books.
Jennings holds the NBA record for the youngest player (20 years, 52 days) in league history to score 50 or more points in a game. He ranks second in NBA history for field goals made in a quarter (12), trailing only David Thompson and Klay Thompson (13).
The “Bucks in 6” prophet also is the franchise leader in points in a half (45), points in a quarter (29), field goals made in a half (17) and field goals made in a quarter (12).
#OTD in 2009, Brandon Jennings scores 55 points against the Warriors
which was the most by a rookie since 1968 🫡 @Tuff__Crowd pic.twitter.com/w7dfoQxl3b— Whistle (@WhistleSports) November 14, 2022
Where is Brandon Jennings now?
Soon after his return to Milwaukee in 2018, Jennings founded “Tuff Crowd,” a luxury streetwear brand.
“I came up with the brand name based on my rough life experiences,” Jennings said on Tuff Crowd’s website. “At a young age, I learned life wasn’t easy. No matter how much I tried to please people it was never enough. People always respected my money but not my skin tone. Ups and downs with my family made me realize, we are all just human. I’ve had to learn not to take things so personally.”
Jennings goes on to say that he’s always wanted “to be able to convey my style for all to access.” Everything Jennings designs is connected to him and his life, he said, and Tuff Crowd’s collection of luxury streetwear includes t-shirts, hats, golf apparel and more.
Jennings reportedly has a net worth of $16 million and remains active both on social media and in Milwaukee.
Ahead of the Bucks’ season opener in October, Jennings stopped by a handful of Milwaukee bars as part of the franchise’s promotions for tipoff week. “Bucks in 6” will live on forever in part because of Jennings, and he’ll live on forever in the city of Milwaukee.
https://twitter.com/Tuff__Crowd/status/1418051094589157387
