The world was waiting for LeBron James to drop the bombshell, announcing his retirement this season, with rumors only amplified by his dramatic “second decision” PR stunt. Instead, they got hit with Malcolm Brogdon’s retirement news. With just one week left for the new 2025-26 season, Brogdon called it a career after nine strong years in the league, having spent his last season with the Washington Wizards.

As the No. 36 pick in the 2016 draft, Brogdon made history as the NBA Rookie of the Year. Still, long before stepping onto an NBA court, he had already built a remarkable legacy at the University of Virginia. So, as we bid him a teary-eyed farewell, let’s look back at his unforgettable journey through UVA.

Malcolm Brogdon’s academic achievements at UVA

Before Malcolm Brogdon became a household name, thanks to the NBA, he grew up in a household that valued academics just as much as athleticism. Education was expected from him, not only for the sake of degrees.

His mother, Jann Adams, a college administrator, made sure her son never lost sight of balancing sports and studies. “She fully supported my basketball career,” Brogdon once said, “but I had to have a B average, or, you know, I wouldn’t be doing any of these other things.” That mindset carried him through every step of his time at the University of Virginia.

At UVA, Brogdon took his studies as seriously as he took defense in crunch time. A history major, he would often be found typing term papers while riding the team bus home from tough losses. Even one of his professors testifies to this dedication.

Gerry Warburg recalled receiving an email from him with a draft on U.S. aid to Africa immediately after one of his games. “He was constantly challenging himself with the hardest assignments…The discipline from the basketball court translated into his work in the classroom.”

But that was only the start. Brogdon added another degree to his already decorated resume. He graduated with a Master’s in Public Policy and Leadership from UVA’s Frank Batten School, where his excellence earned him the 2016 Ernest H. Ern Distinguished Student Award, a recognition limited to only the chosen ones. 

During that time, he lived at 40 East Range, one of the most prestigious residences on campus, once home to legends like Edgar Allan Poe. “It’s a privilege to live on the Range,” Brogdon said. “To see all the people who’ve lived there before—it’s an honor.”

That honor, though, came at the cost of luxury. There was no air conditioning, the warm comforts of a fireplace, or a radiator. It was just history and legacy that surrounded those walls of the residency. 

Malcolm Brogdon’s basketball career at UVA

Being a top-100 recruit prospect, Brogdon had several offers, including Arkansas, Georgia, and even Notre Dame, but he committed to Virginia and chose to wear the Cavaliers jersey. He took on the guard position and led the team; even after redshirting his sophomore year due to a foot injury, he returned stronger during Virginia’s standout 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons.

He played for 4 seasons at UVA and helped the Cavaliers with 111 wins, 4 NCAA tournament appearances, 2 ACC regular-season titles, and 1 ACC Tournament championship. Here’s a short recap of some of his achievements at UVA:

• Finished his career as Virginia’s ninth all-time leading scorer with 1,809 points
• ACC Player of the Year (2016): first UVA player to win since Ralph Sampson (1981–83)
• ACC Defensive Player of the Year (2015, 2016): first ever to win both Player and Defensive honors in the same season
• Consensus First-Team All-American (2016) and Second-Team All-American (2015)
• Finalist for the Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award, and Jerry West Award
• Helped Team USA win bronze at the 2015 Pan American Games
• Finished ninth on UVA’s all-time scoring list (1,809 points)
• Holds school records including 1st in free throw percentage (87.6%), 2nd in games played (136), 6th in three-point percentage (36.5%), and 9th in free throws made (422)

In recognition of his incredible contributions, Virginia retired his No. 15 jersey in 2017. HC Tony Bennett said during the honor, “I remember the very first time I watched Malcolm play. I was convinced he could be special. If we were fortunate enough to get Malcolm to attend UVA, he could lead our program to great heights and have a special career.” And that’s precisely what Brogdon did.

Malcolm Brogdon’s family background and influences

Brogdon grew up in a classic two-story home at 547 Auburn Avenue during his preteen years. Interestingly, it was only two miles short of Hawks’s arena. It was in 2001 when Brogdon, with his family, moved to that neighborhood. His parents, Jann Adams and Gino Brogdon Sr., built a basketball court in their backyard for Malcolm and his brothers to hoop around. 

His father is a lawyer and a TV host, while his mother is a former psychology chair and now an associate dean. Though his parents divorced when he was 11, Brogdon still enjoyed a very active and inspiring childhood in the neighborhood, with Ebenezer Baptist Church blocks away.

He spent hours playing pickup games while soaking in the area’s rich history. After all, it was once home to Martin Luther King Jr.

Even as a kid, his parents wanted him to understand life beyond middle-class comforts. “We moved into inner-city Atlanta. It was a developing neighborhood, but it was lower-income. It was one of the best moves my parents ever made. It was a conscious decision on their part to make sure we grew up with an understanding of what other people had to go through,” he said.

The impact was so profound that by the time Brogdon turned 10 years old, he was already volunteering in Ghana, and by 14, he traveled to Malawi to see challenges for himself.

These experiences helped him understand the realities of the world and the importance of empathy. This motivated him to work for his community and give back to it. And he has been doing it through his work with the NBPA and international philanthropy.

Impact of college life on Brogdon’s career

We have his college teammates to thank for giving Malcolm Brogdon the nickname “The President,” a name that stuck with him throughout his NBA career and really suited him. He said, “That name sorta stuck. People talk about how I speak, how I look and I kinda dressed when the former president Barack Obama was still president.”

In many ways, he truly was a president beyond the court, someone who understood that the head that wore the crown was heavy.

His upbringing in Atlanta shaped his perspective on justice and equality. “I tend to know a little bit more about Dr. King because of my roots,” Brogdon said.

His passion for social justice grew, especially after visiting the Equal Justice Initiative museum in Montgomery, Alabama. “I’m really into [learning about] the prison system and the criminalization of Black men and women… The system is designed against us,” he explained. 

Playing on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2022 became a personal honor. “It’s awesome. Having Black men and women at this level… it is the dream that Dr. King, I guess, professed to everyone,” Brogdon reflected.

Also, during MLK Day the same year, Brogdon used the platform to announce that his Brogdon Family Foundation would launch a social justice-focused HBCU tour in March.

That has only motivated Brogdon to do more charity work. In 2018, he joined the Hoops2O project, which helps bring clean water to African communities. By 2020, it was reported that the initiative had built ten wells, reaching more than 52,000 people. 

Brogdon was also a part of the “Starting Five” group alongside Joe Harris, Justin Anderson, Anthony Tolliver, and Garrett Temple. In 2020, Brogdon also started his nonprofit, the Brogdon Family Foundation.

Now, as Malcolm Brogdon steps away from the hardwood, we can look forward to seeing him pour his energy into the Brogdon Family Foundation, champion social justice causes, and perhaps even continue his own education.