Malcom Brogdon will wear No. 7 with the Pacers, so here are seven things to know about the new Pacers point guard.
1. He changes numbers whenever he enters a new phase of his career. He wore 22 in high school and his first year at Virginia. After suffering a foot injury and having to sit out a season as a medical redshirt, he switched to 15. That number has been retired by the university. He switched to 13 when he joined Milwaukee and now goes to 7, simply because it's one of his favorite numbers. He also considered 11.
2. Brogdon's agent is Danielle Cantor, the NBA's first female agent. She works with veteran super-agent David Falk in his restructured firm that represents only NBA players. Brogdon was attracted by her status. "As a minority in this country, I think it's important that you give other people that are overlooked or not given similar opportunities — you give them a chance, as well," Brogdon told the Washington Post. "I thought it would be breaking the glass ceiling and we'd be doing something special together."
3. Brogdon says he was "extremely disappointed" not to be drafted in the first round of the 2016 draft despite his decorated career at Virginia. He was penalized for having spent five years in college but believes he wouldn't have been drafted if he had come out earlier. He watched the draft with his family at home, so was spared the indignation of waiting in the green room on national television at the draft site.
4. He used his extra year of college to obtain a Master’s degree in public policy. His older brother, Gino, is a trial attorney in Atlanta. Another older brother, John, attends law school. His father, Mitchell, is an attorney and mediator. His mother, Dr. Jann Adams, was most recently the associate dean of science and math at Morehouse College. His mother attended Monday’s press conference, as did his girlfriend, Gino and Gino’s wife.
5. Brogdon is one of the NBA's most dedicated community activists. He founded Hoops2O in 2018 to raise funds to provide clean water in East Africa by building wells. TNT analyst Charles Barkley presented him with a $45,000 check after Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, raising his donation total at the time to $274,200. He said he wants to "understand the needs of the community so I can make an impact" in Indianapolis.
6. He has had issues with injuries. He took a medical redshirt after his freshman season at Virginia because of a foot injury. He played in 64 games last season with Milwaukee because of a plantar fascia tear in his right foot. He played in 48 games the prior season because of a partially torn quad tendon.
7. Don't look for Brogdon on social media. He has no Twitter account and dropped his Instagram account midway through last season to simplify his life. "It was about limiting my distractions and all the media and noise," he said. "I don't really like seeing what's going on with everybody else." He said he might revive his Instagram account to promote his charitable causes, but probably would have someone else operate it for him.
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