Brandon Jennings shattered the rulebook. No NCAA, a season in Rome, then straight to the NBA on raw talent and pure energy. But then came the twist that rewrote his legacy: a torn Achilles in 2015 that changed everything. “I would’ve been an All-Star for sure if I didn’t tear my Achilles,” he admits, the weight of what could’ve been clear in his voice. But the only good thing that came out of it? He still got to play with his dream team—the Knicks.
Jennings played nine seasons across five teams, including the Bucks and Pistons, averaging 14.1 points, 5.7 assists, and 3.0 rebounds in 555 regular-season games. Then, on January 24, 2015, in Milwaukee, while playing for Detroit against his former team, the Bucks, his season came to a halt with a devastating Achilles tear. Enduring a grueling six‑month rehab with his career hanging in the balance, coach Stan Van Gundy had to make a move to shore up the point guard spot.
Looking back on that tough stretch, Jennings opened up on VladTV about the rollercoaster he faced. When asked about going from a playoff star to bouncing between teams after his injury, he didn’t sugarcoat it. “I think after the Knicks, I knew like my time was done. Just off because like we didn’t have like a successful year that year,” he said, his voice carrying the weight of dashed expectations. They were supposed to be a powerhouse in the East. Stacked with him, Melo, and D-Rose, but falling short left him with a clear sense that things were unraveling.
Jennings didn’t mince words about his post‑Achilles slide. “Once I got to Wizards, I was just holding on,” he admitted, a quiet resignation in his words. But amidst the struggle, Jennings found a silver lining when he went to China. “That was the best experience of my life,” he said, a bright spot shining through the disappointment.
A picture of Brandon Jennings
Before the injury, Detroit was really on a roll. They had won 12 of their last 15 games, with Jennings putting up impressive numbers—20.9 points and 7.9 assists per game that month, as reported by the Basketball Network. But then he said, “I feel like with the injury, that’s when the chaos started happening outside of my career.” That Achilles tear wasn’t just physical—it shifted everything in his world. When he finally returned in December 2015, getting back to his previous form was a real struggle.
With his contract coming to an end and no guarantees about his future performance, the Pistons decided to trade him to Orlando. After that, he signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Knicks, hoping to reignite his career. But he was waived before finishing the season, which marked the start of the final chapter. Jennings then landed with the Wizards in 2017, playing his last game in the NBA with his original team, the Bucks, in 2018 before finishing his basketball journey overseas.
But like we said, the one bright spot for Jennings was that he eventually got to play for the Knicks.
Brandon Jennings and his New York Knicks love story
Jennings’ NBA journey started with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he quickly made a name for himself. But deep down, the Bucks were never where he wanted to be first. “That [Milwaukee] wasn’t where I wanted to go first,” Jennings confessed in a recent VladTV interview. His heart was set on the New York Knicks — the $7.5 billion franchise he dreamed of playing for. “I wanted to go to the Knicks,” he said, but what stopped that dream from coming true? According to Jennings, it was his own mouth that got him into trouble.
Jennings believes his outspoken nature during the pre-draft workouts cost him his shot with the Knicks. “Because I was calling out Ricky Rubio, and I was saying why he wasn’t a part of these workouts that we were going in. I thought I was going to get picked by the Knicks because… It was my best workout during that time. And Dan Tony was the coach… But no, Milwaukee picked me at 10,” he explained.
Despite this setback, Jennings holds no regrets about landing in Milwaukee, saying, “I felt like that [Bucks] was the best, best thing for me.” Still, the Knicks stayed on his mind, and he eventually got his chance to play for them in 2016, showing his excitement publicly: “Can’t wait to play in the Mecca!! Excited to be joining such a historic franchise @NYKNICKS!!!” he posted on social media.
However, his time with the Knicks was short-lived, and the story of missed chances didn’t end there. Jennings revealed another surprising twist on VladTV. He had actually been offered a $40 million deal by Milwaukee, but never knew about it because his agent didn’t tell him. “I don’t know, man. It was just bad at that time, and then that’s when it got real dark,” he said. Though he briefly returned to the Bucks on a 10-day contract in 2018, Jennings always expressed gratitude for Milwaukee. But he acknowledged that his true dream was always the Knicks. Even if his own actions played a part in why that dream took longer than expected.
Brandon Jennings’ career was a rollercoaster of talent, setbacks, and missed chances, but his passion for the Knicks never faded. Though fate and a few missteps kept him from landing in New York earlier, playing for his dream team, even briefly, was a meaningful milestone in his journey.
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