Eight years have gone by since Brandon Jennings played his last game in the NBA. Since then, the Milwaukee Bucks (finally) won another championship. Giannis Antetokounmpo has blossomed into one of the best players in the league. And 50-point games have become a little more common.
But once upon a time, it was Jennings himself that was making history. It was 16 years ago today, that the lottery pick dropped 55 points in just his seventh NBA game. On the other side of the court was fellow rookie guard Stephen Curry.
Since today is the anniversary of this monumental performance, why not walk down memory lane?
Brandon Jennings Put the NBA on Notice
For all the nostalgic NBA fans, here are some of the players that suited up in the 55-point Brandon Jennings masterpiece game. Charlie Bell. Anthony Morrow. Monta Ellis. Corey Maggette. Hakim Warrick. Luke Ridnour. Jodie Meeks.
16 years have come and gone, and this game is still remembered as being legendary. Stephen Curry was not yet a starter for the Warriors. He was coming off the bench, while the Bucks on the other hand, were also figuring some things out. Andrew Bogut was the team’s defensive anchor. Kurt Thomas was still in the league, and he was coming off the bench.
But let’s cut to the chase here. Jennings, who was the No. 10 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, was not even there in person when his name was called. He was shopping in SoHo. When the season got going, he didn’t waste much time getting going, though.
In just his sixth NBA game, Jennings scored 32 points, out-dueling future Hall-of-Famer Carmelo Anthony in a 108-102 victory. Three days later when the team took the floor again, it was decided that this would be a game for the ages.
After shooting 0-2 in the first quarter, everything came easy for the rookie guard. He hit 21 of his next 32 shots, finishing with a whopping 55 points. This was one of those nights where tossing the ball in the basket was like throwing it in the ocean.
Most impressive, was that 45 of the 55 points came after halftime. The third quarter was legendary. Jennings scored 29 points on 12-of-13 from the floor, as Milwaukee won the frame by 17 points.
Of course, you cannot take a guy who has a 29-point quarter out of the game. Jennings played the entire fourth, too. He added another 16 points on 5-8 shooting in the period, as they held off the Warriors to claim the win on the big night.
There was not a single NBA fan or player around the league not paying attention after this. Brandon Jennings put the league on notice.
The Aftermath of Brandon Jennings Big Night
The 2009-10 Milwaukee Bucks didn’t shock the NBA world. They lost to the Atlanta Hawks in seven games, a valiant effort considering that Andrew Bogut missed the series.
The season did mark the team’s first winning season in seven years. The team struggled to find scoring outside of Brandon Jennings and John Salmons, and they ultimately fell just a little short. This extended their drought to nine seasons without a playoff-series victory.
Jennings himself would finish third in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Tyreke Evans and Curry. The Bucks PG averaged 15.5 points and 5.7 assists per night, hitting 37% of his shots.
In each of the following two years, the team would miss the postseason. And when they returned in 2012-13 with Jennings and Monta Ellis leading the way, they would face the LeBron James-led Miami Heat. They got swept.
But we got one more iconic Jennings quote as a result of that matchup. Bucks in 6. His four years in Milwaukee were memorable. He even came back to finish his 9-year NBA career with the team that drafted him.
Long live the Bucks career of Brandon Jennings. And happy 16-year anniversary to his big 55-point night.
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