This day in basketball history

2008 - Brandon Jennings signs overseas out of high school

Coming out of high school, point guard Brandon Jennings profiled as one of the world's best prospects. As a senior, Jennings averaged 32.7 points, 7.4 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game, which earned him a number of awards, including the Naismith Prep Player of the Year and Gatorade Player of the Year in 2008. 

His accolades earned him the number one prospect ranking from both ESPN and Scout.com. In 2007, prior to Jennings' final year in high school, he committed to playing his college ball for the Arizona Wildcats.

But in 2008, Jennings had a change of heart and decided to play in Euroleague instead of in college. One of the NBA's draft eligibility stipulations dictates that the player must be one-year removed from high school, thus prompting Jennings to play professionally instead of taking the standard route through college. This made him the first American player to go directly from high school to a European team.

The move met with mixed results for Jennings. He averaged 5.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in the Italian Serie A, and was eventually selected 10th overall in the 2009 NBA draft. He did earn $1.65 million playing abroad instead of in the amateur ranks, but his draft stock may have been dampened by his controversial move.

Ultimately, the question of how Jennings' decision affected his career will never be definitively answered. He currently plays for the Detroit Pistons, and boasts career averages of 16.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game across five seasons.

1981 - Z-Bo was Z-Born

Before Zach Randolph became the positive force both in the Grizzlies' front-court and in the city of Memphis, he was one of the league's most perplexing players.

Gifted with skill, vision and size, Randolph was a tantalizing talent. He could shoot, handle the rock, score in the post, and most importantly, he had a nose for the ball, making him a tenacious rebounder.

But before he eventually found a place in Memphis, Randolph's career was rocked by a number of off-court controversies. He was a central figure in the Portland Trail Blazers teams of the early 2000's which were colloquially dubbed the "Jail Blazers". He repeatedly faced trouble with the law including pleading guilty to a stolen weapons charge among other incidences.

Randolph did eventually manage to get his life and career in line, as told in a highly-readable narrative by Grantland's Jonathan Abrams. In repairing his troubles and righting his career, Randolph has since become one of the most beloved figures in Grizzlies history.

Birthdays

1979 - Chris Mihm
1981 - Zach Randolph
1986 - Timofey Mozgov
1988 - Mike Scott