By many accounts former NBA player Brandon Jennings had a career full of unfulfilled promise. He stopped playing at the young age of 33. While there are reports that no NBA teams were really checking for him, he recently claimed there there was another reason for is departure from the game.
Speaking on the “Above The Rim” podcast on Oct. 20 with Dwight Howard, Jennings said intense family pressures and expectations drove him to give up his multi-million dollar career. He said he was tired of being a “cash cow” for family and friends.
What He Said
“One of the reasons I had to walk away from the game was because of family and friends. It just got to be too much about money, said the ex-Milwaukee Bucks star who played for nine seasons and made $40 million in earnings.
“Basketball was my freedom and my therapy, and when I’m on the court, I’m not thinking about anything else. But once basketball became a job, and people started looking at me as an ATM… you know, it kind of gets depressing. No matter who you are, you don’t want to be looked at as just a cash cow,” Jennings continued. “You’ve got to stay spiritual and keep the right people around you who add value to your life. It’s OK to say no.”
Selected 10th overall in the first round by the Bucks in 2009, Jennings averaged 15.5 points and 5.7 assists per game. He gained national attention on Nov. 14, 2009, by scoring 55 points against the Golden State Warriors, one of the highest-scoring games in history for a rookie.
In the 2012-2013 season, he helped lead the Bucks to the playoffs against the Miami Heat.
He was later traded to the Detroit Pistons in 2013 and then to the New York Knicks in 2016, where solid performances were tempered by injuries that impacted his playing time and effectiveness. In 2015, he tore his Achilles in 2015, which is considered one of the most difficult injuries to recover from.
Despite his injuries that surely affected his career, there most likely were other reasons besides family drama that sparked Jennings’ early retirement. His career may have also been impacted by his reputation as an inefficient, high-volume shooter. During his time with the Bucks he averaged 17 points per game but struggled with shooting efficiency and constancy, according to Bleacher Report. Jennings’ perceived selfish play style and inconsistent decision-making contributed to his brief stints with teams like the Pistons and Knicks and his limited success overseas. He also often clashed with coaches and was waived by two teams toward the end of his NBA career, by the New York Knicks in February 2017 and by the Milwaukee Bucks in August 2018 before the season began.
Jennings’ 2018 departure from Milwaukee marked the end of his NBA career. He signed a one-year contract with a Russian team that summer but only played 10 games before exiting that organization due to another clash with management. According to Spotrac, Jennings’ career earnings through 2024 are $40,092,704. Today it is estimated by Celebrity Net Worth that he is worth $16 million.
