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Throwdown Thursday: That time rookie Malcolm Brogdon dunked on Kyrie Irving and LeBron James in the same game
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Malcolm Brogdon does not strike anyone as a flashy, in-your-face basketball player. He's a serious professional and a smart one at that. But on December 21, 2016, the then-Milwaukee Bucks rookie stunned the NBA world when he dunked not only on Kyrie Irving but also on his teammate, the "King" himself, LeBron James.
Dunk heard 'round the world
The game was already in full swing when Brogdon drove off a screen on the right wing and blew past James. With nothing but open sky in front of him, Brogdon took off and threw down a one-handed reverse dunk over James, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
The shot was instantly iconic, an impressive feat of athleticism, and because of who Brogdon did it to. As Brogdon narrated three years later on the defunct ESPN show "The Jump," he said he had no choice but to dunk it as he knew James intended to block his drive to the rim.
"I had to just drive it. I wasn't sure if was LeBron trailing me or what but I knew I had to go up hard because there was someone gonna be trying to block it and it happened to be LeBron," said Brogdon.
That dunk was Brogdon's coup de grace of the night. In the first quarter of that game, he also drove past Irving and threw down another powerful one-handed slam.
Incredible rookie season
Those plays were just a few of many solid ones Brogdon had during his rookie campaign—one that ended with the 6-foot-5 guard being named the league's Rookie of the Year. The Bucks' second-round pick (36th overall), Brogdon, came out of nowhere to average 10.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.
However, in 2019, Brogdon was traded to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for three draft picks, one being a first-rounder. His three-year stint with the Bucks ended with averages of 12.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per outing.
