Brandon Jennings: Milwaukee Bucks PG Tries To Get a Grip Without Hoops
Brandon Jennings’ circuitous route to the NBA is well documented…Compton to high school to a brief flirtation with college to Italy to a standout start with the Milwaukee Bucks. But he, like the rest of his NBA brethren, continue to play the watch-and-wait game while the Players Union and league leadership joust back and forth over the CBA.
So, in the interim, the athletic guard who helped make the Milwaukee Bucks one of the NBA’s more pleasant surprises the past few seasons is trying to stay fit, busy and even learn from the success of the other franchises in the Cheese State.
“No doubt, the Packers winning the Super Bowl and the way the Brewers have played has been a great source of inspiration for us,” Jennings said on a call this week to tout his new partnership with MISSION Athletecare’s Court Grip product.
"One thing I saw right away was what fans in Wisconsin will do for a winner; we saw it in my rookie year in the playoffs, and now the Pack and the Brewers have raised the bar for where we have to go to be a success. It’s a great challenge for when we get started.
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When that will be remains anyone’s guess at this point for NBA players and fans. For all his travels, Jennings said he is staying stateside regardless of the length of the lockout at this point.
“Andrew Bogut and I discussed going to play in Australia at one point, but that’s not happening at all. I’m focused on getting ready for our season when it starts in Milwaukee,” he added.
Any thoughts of returning to Italy, where he started his professional career with Lottomatica Roma of the Italian Lega A in 2008-09?
“No. None at all,” he said. “As a matter of fact with all the talk of guys going overseas no one even asked me what it’s like; that’s in the past for me.”
The immediate past saw Jennings spend three months in Baltimore, training at Under Armour’s facility before heading back to his native Southern California. Along the way he was introduced to MISSION’s Court Grip product, which players can use on their shoes to keep from sliding when on the court. He joined Dwyane Wade as the first NBA players to sign on with the product.
"It’s funny but the first thing you always check is how slippery or dusty the court is, not just in the NBA but even in AAU, and I found that using Court Grip, even in pickup games, changed the way I was able to move on the court. I wish we had this when I was growing up and I think it’s really going to help people play more confidently. It’s a great opportunity for me.
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In the meantime, Jennings will continue to try and get a grip on the pickup courts he and his NBA mates have taken to this fall, in hopes that maybe, just maybe, he will be able to enjoy the love that other Wisconsin athletes have enjoyed in the last year. That will be if and when the lockout ends, and then Jennings and his Bucks get a chance to get back to the business of basketball on the court, vs. in the business world.
