It’s safe to say that anyone who has been a Milwaukee Bucks fan since the late 2000s remembers the famous Brandon Jennings 55-point explosion against the Golden State Warriors in his rookie season. Even if you weren’t a Bucks fan, it’s still a very memorable moment from one of the bright young stars in that draft class, especially going up against fellow point guard in the 2009 NBA Draft, Steph Curry.
It was a coming-out party of sorts for the rookie Bucks point guard, only seven games into his career. Jennings went on to play 305 total games for the Bucks (14 of them coming nearly five years later) and is somewhat of a fan favorite for his famous “Bucks in 6” prediction ahead of a series against a LeBron James and Dwyane Wade led Miami Heat team.
I don’t need to tell Bucks fans about Jennings, though. You probably want to hear about his time in Milwaukee and about his 55-point game from the man himself, right? Well, you’re in luck as Jennings was recently on the HoopsHype podcast with Michael Scotto to talk about an upcoming NFT release of his career moments, his choice to forgo college and play pro in Italy, and an overall reflection of his NBA career.
He gave some very candid answers about his overall career and it’s good to see that Jennings is in a great place with his post-NBA career. But he also said some very nice things about the city of Milwaukee and reflected on his breakout 55-point game.
Brandon Jennings still can’t explain his 55-point game for the Milwaukee Bucks
One of the topics that Scotto brought up was the famous double nickel performance on November 14th, 2009 against the Warriors. Jennings isn’t quite sure how it happened to this day.
"The 55-point game was still something I can’t explain. I just got hot, and the ball was just going in. I only scored 10 points in the first half, and I had a terrible first quarter. I just came out in the second half hot."
The poor start to the game is something people may not always remember about Jennings’ big night. Jennings was only 4-for-13 in the first half of the game and had only taken one 3-pointer. the second half was where Jennings did his damage, specifically in the third quarter where he scored 29 points on 12-for-13 shooting. For those that want a visual reminder of the game, here you go.
However, to many people’s surprise, that may not have even been his favorite game of his career!
"I’m sure everybody is like, that should be your favorite game, but one of my favorite games ever was my first game in the NBA when I almost had a triple-double in Philly. I didn’t know if I was going to start. He told me I was going to start the day before."
The game he is referring to was on October 30th, 2009, where he finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists in 34 minutes. The Bucks lost by 13 to the Sixers that night (who had a rookie guard of their own by the name of Jrue Holiday), but it was a good start to Jennings’ career. It’s also fitting that in his debut return game for the Bucks many years later, he would again post a near-triple double.
It has also been refreshing to see Jennings continue to be embraced by the fans and to see him return the love back. He may not have left on the best terms when he left in a sign-and-trade to the Detroit Pistons, but all that is behind Bucks fans now and Jennings still considers the city home.
"Milwaukee is a blue-collar state that’s tough. They just keep going no matter what. It’s a place I can call my second home. It’s a city that embraced me in the younger days of my career, the four years in Milwaukee. We made the playoffs twice, and we had some good times."
This is reinforced by his appearances at the Bucks championship-clinching game and the parade, where he caught beers from the crowd and continuously led “Bucks in 6” chants throughout. He’s one of my favorite players of all time, so I’m glad he got to be there for such a huge moment for the fans and franchise.
I highly recommend listening to Jennings’ appearance on the HoopsHype podcast as well as his new co-hosting gig for the I Am Athlete, Los Angeles branch.