Malcolm Brogdon ended his basketball career at Virginia in illustrious fashion last year, capturing ACC Player of the Year, ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and first-team All-America honors. Brogdon began his NBA career in similar fashion, winning the 2017 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year award Monday night.
It was a fantastic first season for the Bucks’ rookie, as he averaged 10.2 ppg, 4.2 apg, 1.12 spg, and shot 40.4 percent from the three-point line and 86.5 percent from the free throw line. Brogdon led all rookies in assists and steals per game.
Brogdon, the 36th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, made history Monday night, becoming the first second round draft pick in the common-draft era to win Rookie of the Year. Brogdon beat out Philadelphia's Joel Embiid and Dario Saric for the award. Both Embiid and Saric were drafted in 2014, but didn't start playing until this past season, making Brogdon the only Rookie of the Year finalist from the 2016 NBA Draft Class.
Brogdon played in 75 games this season, starting in 28, helping the Bucks reach the postseason. On Dec. 31, he recorded the first triple-double of his career, scoring 15 points, and adding 12 assists and 11 rebounds.
After a wildly successful career at Virginia, Brogdon has gotten off to a successful start in his NBA career. He joins Ralph Sampson (1984) as the only other basketball player from Virginia to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award. Virginia recently honored Brogdon by retiring his No. 15 this past season.