I scored 50 points in NBA history faster than Wemby and LeBron but had to ‘walk away from game’ and ended up in Russia
Brandon Jennings spent nine seasons in the NBA and began his career by making history.
The flashy point guard suited up for the Bucks (twice), Pistons, Magic, Knicks, and Wizards, and last played for Russian pro team Zenit St Petersburg in 2018.
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Jennings famously broke the 50-point barrier faster than any player in NBA history.
He scored 55 in just his seventh pro game on November 14, 2009 against the Golden State Warriors.
Jennings was 20 years and 52 days at the time, edging LeBron James, Devin Booker and Victor Wembanyama in NBA history.
Wemby dropped 50 on Wednesday, powering San Antonio to another win without Gregg Popovich.
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Jennings, who is now 35-years-old, made $40million in career earnings during his time in the NBA, but recently revealed he quit basketball because of family and friends repeatedly asking him for money.
Jennings recently appeared on the podcast where he reflected on his relationship with friends and family and how NBA money affected his life.
"I had to walk away from the game too because of family and friends… it got too much about money," he said.
He explained basketball was his escape and therapy, but once it became a job he noticed people around him using him as a cash machine.
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"It kind of gets depressing,” he said.
"No matter who you are, you don’t want to be looked at as a cash cow," he went on, before adding that his tip to avoid such a situation is to stay spiritual.
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"Keep the right people around you,” he added.
Former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe and ex-Bengals wide receiver Chad 'Ochocinco' Johnson recently spoke about Jennings' comments on their 'Nightcap' podcast.
Both men, who have made millions during their playing and post playing days, empathized with Jennings, saying that extreme wealth can lead to issues with loved ones.
"They'll drain you," Johnson .
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"Family will drain you. They know no limits and will not stop and all you're doing is enabling them. The more you give, the more you have to keep giving to your friends and these entourages.
"I understand," Johnson went on. "If they grew up with you, you always want to keep it real. But one of the easiest ways [to lose money] is to have the wrong people around you.
"You don't want to tell people no. But you're going to look up five or six years from now and wonder, 'where the hell did all my money go?'"
"That s*** goes fast if you have no financial discipline.
"[Family] will never understand."
Sharpe agreed, admitting it's a slippery slope when it comes to family and money.
"You can't manage your income. And somehow you want me to supplement yours?"
"They gonna keep on taking, it will never stop," Johnson replied.
";They forget the 1,000 yeses, they only remember the one no," Sharpe added.
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Johnson earned $48.9 million across his 11-year NFL career but has been famously frugal with his money.
“I done saved 80 [to] 83 per cent of my salary,” Johnson said.
“So, life is good because I was able to sustain and keep most of my wealth that I made while I was playing.”
“As a rookie coming into the league, I stayed at [Paul Brown Stadium] my first two years because there was no point in spending money and wasting money when everything I need is already there,” Johnson explained to Entertainment Tonight.
"I didn’t move out of my grandmother’s house because I was content and used to where I lived. I didn’t move out of her house until my fourth year in the NFL," he continued.
As for Jennings, he's previously admitted he should have bought something for himself with his first NBA paycheck instead of buying a house for his mother.
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Appearing on the Gil's Arena podcast, Jennings, who has a reported net worth of $16 million, reiterated his love for his mother but said young players should make themselves financially stable before helping everyone else.
"That doesn’t mean I don’t love my mom or I don’t appreciate her. I think we get caught up in like, ‘When we get our first paycheck, we gotta give it to my family.’ But it’s like woah, you can get hurt next year, and then I made people comfortable early.”
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Jennings was drafted tenth overall in the 2009 NBA Draft -- the same draft class at Steph Curry and James Harden -- but never truly lived up to his potential.
Jennings struggled after tearing his Achilles in 2009 but still averaged 15.5 points per game over his nine non-consecutive seasons in The Association.
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