After a legendary college career with the Virginia Cavaliers and nine seasons in the NBA, Malcolm Brogdon is hanging up his shoes and calling it a career.
The news comes as a bit of a shock after Brogdon recently signed a one-year contract to join the New York Knicks on September 12th and figured to be a part of New York’s opening night roster as a dependable reserve guard.
The former first-team All-American was the steal of the 2016 NBA Draft, sliding to the second round before the Milwaukee Bucks selected him with the 36th overall pick. And, in surprising fashion to everyone but Cavalier basketball fans, Brogdon put together a fantastic rookie season, where he eventually took home the Rookie of the Year award in 2017. It would also be crazy not to mention that Brogdon also put Kyrie Irving and LeBron James on posters that year.
Brogdon spent three total seasons with the Bucks before being dealt to the Indiana Pacers in a sign-and-trade deal in 2019, where he went on to average 16, 21, and 19 points in his three seasons in the Hoosier State. Brogdon was on the trade block once again in 2022, this time, to the Boston Celtics. He helped spearhead a run that saw Boston make the conference finals, ultimately winning the coveted Sixth-Man of the Year award in a season when he averaged 14.9 points, 3.7 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Brogdon played the 23-’24 season in Portland, maintaining a solid scoring average like he did in each of his pro seasons, before joining forces with former UVA teammate Anthony Gill as a member of the Washington Wizards in what will go down as his final season in the league a year ago. In true Brogdon fashion, his total numbers are as rock-solid as you’d expect. 15.3 points, 4.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 43 percent from the field and 88 percent from the free throw line.
As a Cavalier, Brogdon’s list of accomplishments is as decorated as any player to step on the floor in a Virginia uniform. After joining the program in 2011, the Atlanta native became a catalyst for Tony Bennett’s teams as the ‘Hoos steadily rose into national prominence.
As a dominant scorer, he finished ninth in all-time points at UVA with 1,809, while shining as a unanimous consensus first-team All-American in 2015-16 — a year that saw him take home ACC Player of the Year and his second of back-to-back ACC Defensive POY awards. He remains one of eight former Cavalier players to have their numbers retired, finishing his college career with averages of 13.3 points, 2.5 assists, and 4.1 boards.
There are genuinely too many highlights worth mentioning throughout No. 15’s career, so here are a few favorites from what were some of the best years the UVA program has ever seen.
A clutch buzzer-beater that put the country on notice on a Super Bowl Sunday:
His 26-point clinic in the win over third-ranked North Carolina that had Roy Williams losing his mind for two straight hours:
Another poster dunk for an and-one after one of his countless smart cuts to the hoop:
A 28-point March Madness performance over Butler:
The ‘Hoos made multiple appearances in the NCAA tournament, putting Tony Bennett’s teams on the map, including an Elite Eight appearance, in large part due to Brogdon throughout his time in Charlottesville. And, while the No. 15 hangs in the rafters of the JPJ, never to be worn again on the court for good reason, perhaps a seat on the bench as future UVA general manager could be the perfect second act. For now, congrats to Malcolm on one heck of a hoops career.
