Giannis Antetokounmpo addresses trade report, reaffirms commitment to Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo addressed a trade report after practice on Oct. 8, during which he reaffirmed his commitment to team.
Former Milwaukee Bucks point guard Malcolm Brogdon, who won rookie of the year honors with the team, announced his retirement from the NBA a week before the new season is set to begin.
He issued a statement to ESPN:
“Today, I officially begin my transition out of my basketball career,” said Brogdon, 32, who played for the Bucks from 2016-19. “I have proudly given my mind, body, and spirit to the game over the last few decades.
“With the many sacrifices it took to get here, I have received many rewards. I am deeply grateful to have arrived to this point on my own terms and now to be able to reap the benefits of my career with my family and friends. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all who have had a place in my journey.”
The Bucks congratulated Brogdon on his career.
“Congratulations to 2017 NBA Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon on an excellent career and best of luck in retirement!” the Bucks wrote on X.
Malcolm Brogdon retires: A Bucks second-round pick to Rookie of the Year
The Bucks selected Brogdon 36th overall in the second round of the 2016 draft following his All-American season at Virginia.
Brogdon played in 75 games as a rookie in 2016-17, averaging 10.2 points in 27.3 minutes, shooting 45.7% and 40.4% from three-point range. He also had 4.2 assists and 1.1 steals, the highest of his career. Brogdon earned Rookie of the Year honors, becoming the first second-round pick in NBA history to win the award. Brogdon is also just the second Bucks player to win Rookie of the Year, along with NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Injuries, though, often limited his time on the court.
Brogdon played in just 48 games his second season due to a partially torn left quadriceps tendon.
He bounced back and had a successful third season with the Bucks, starting 64 games on a Bucks team that won an NBA-best 60 games and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. That season he shot career-highs in shooting at 50.5%, posted his second-best three-point shooting of his career at 42.6% and led the NBA in free throws at 92.8%. He became just the eighth player in NBA history to have a 50-40-90 season.
Following that season, as a restricted free agent, the Bucks reached a sign-and-trade agreement with the Indiana Pacers and sent Brogdon to their Central Division rival.
When he played against Bucks for the first time with the Pacers in the 2019-20 season, Brogdon said: “I would have loved to play for (the Bucks) if they had wanted me, if they had valued me the way the Pacers value me. That’s all I can say.”
Malcolm Brogdon post-Bucks career: Injuries, Sixth Man of the Year, Jrue Holiday trade
Brogdon played the next three years with the Pacers. However, he didn’t play in more than 56 games in any season due to more injuries. After playing in just 36 games in the 2021-22 season, he was traded to the Boston Celtics.
Brogdon spent just one season with the Celtics but it was a successful one. He earned NBA Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 14.9 points and shooting a career-best 44.4% on three-pointers. The 67 games played were the most since his rookie season.
But he was traded the next offseason to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Jrue Holiday days after the Bucks sent Holiday to Portland for Damian Lillard. Brogdon played in only 39 games for the Blazers before being traded again last offseason to the Washington Wizards.
Brogdon played in a career-low 24 games in Washington last season and averaged his second-fewest points at 12.7. He missed the first month of the season with a hand injury and then after Feb. 12 didn’t play again following a leg injury.
Brogdon signed with the New York Knicks last month at the start of training camp.
Malcolm Brogdon stats
Here are Malcolm Brogdon’s career stats across his nine NBA seasons:
Games: 463 (51.4 games/season)Starts: 296 startsMinutes: 29.1Points: 15.3FG%: 46.3%3P%: 38.8%FT%: 87.4%Rebounds: 4.1Assists: 4.7Steals: 0.8