Nine-year-old Malcolm Brogdon was on a tourist bus in Ghana when the guide pulled over in the capital city of Accra for lunch. They were all hot, tired and hungry.

But it was impossible to ignore the thin and gaunt people outside of the bus. While Brogdon was handed his Styrofoam box, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from their emaciated bodies and desperate eyes.

“They were banging on the windows because they were so hungry,” recalled Brogdon. “We just handed out our food to them. We were hungry – but not as hungry as they were.”

Brogdon and his mother watched the children pick up the kernels of rice that had fallen on the ground.

“That was the point where, even as a little kid, you understand this is a totally different world,” said Brogdon. “It was the most influencing moment that I’ve ever had in my life.”

Brogdon recalled this recently after work, as a prospering rookie with Milwaukee Bucks. The driven 6-foot-5 point guard, a second-round draft pick who once played for Tony Bennett at the University of Virginia, has the world at his feet.

But he has not forgotten its troubles.

He’s completely committed to the game of basketball now. He’s one of the first to arrive and last to leave at practice. He’s a calm and mature presence on a young and exciting team. He wants to be an NBA all-star and win a championship.

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But some day he endeavors to take his college degree in public policy and go to underdeveloped countries where he will teach their people about clean water and sustainability with their own crops.

“People always ask me, why not domestically? Why internationally?” said Brogdon. “I know we have a lot of poverty and we have a lot of problems over here in the U.S., but for me, I’ve been outside the country, and that’s really where my heart is – to help others outside.”

Brogdon’s plans to save the world actually began forming generations ago.

A legacy of education

Brogdon’s grandfather, John Hurst Adams, was a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church from 1972-2004. Grandmother Dolly Adams has her doctorate in education and was an elementary school teacher and principal.

Father Mitchell G. Brogdon is a mediator in Atlanta. Mother Jann Adams is an assistant provost at Morehouse College in Atlanta, teaching abnormal psychology.

Brogdon’s oldest brother, Gino, is a lawyer who recently started a firm in Atlanta. His other older brother, John, is preparing to take the bar and accepted a federal law clerkship in Durham, N.C.

They’re preceded by Jann’s grandparents, who met at Johnson C. Smith University, a small black college in Charlotte, N.C.

Education runs through this family DNA, so no one was surprised when Malcolm Brogdon was on the ACC academic honor roll at Virginia.

“There was an expectation – for all of us – that you did well in school,” said Jann Adams. “The only way you’re going to be able to contribute in the world is by getting an education.

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“I don’t even think we talked about it that much. The expectation was so clear.”

Traveling was part of the educational experience, and so on that family trip to Ghana trip in 2002, they all worked at a daycare and maternity ward and saw people living in abject poverty.

“It was an extremely tough trip in a lot of ways,” said Adams.

Kids there weren’t going to school because tuition was $100 a year, and families couldn’t afford it. Malcolm played soccer with other kids but he was the only one wearing shoes. The children’s play area was next to a trash dump.

After Ghana, Brogdon had further travels to another African country, Malawi, which also had its struggles – no lights, no electricity – and to other places. But Ghana left the greatest impression.

“It was transformative for all of us,” said Jann Adams. “I had never seen anything like it, and I have been to many places.”

Blending basketball and books

As Brogdon grew up, his love and talent for basketball also blossomed at Greater Atlanta Christian School. It was expected he maintain at least a B average. If not, he would not go to practice or to the gym.

While he averaged 25.7 points and 12.9 rebounds as a senior in high school, he also had matured as a very serious kid. Jann and Malcolm relocated to a rented house to be near the high school for two years, and some nights it would be just the two of them hunched over a mountain of books and a keyboard, getting through the schoolwork together.

“I didn’t party. I didn’t go out. I didn’t really hang out with friends as much as other guys,” said Brogdon. “When guys were going out to parties – I was going to the gym. I figured for all my mom sacrificed for me, it was the least I could do.”

Harvard wanted him, and the thought of a Brogdon there was enticing.

“My grandparents really wanted me to go to Harvard. They thought that was writing your ticket for the future. How could I turn that down?” said Brogdon. “But my mom knew I needed a balance. She knew that I loved basketball.

“And Tony Bennett tipped the scale because he was the perfect coach for me.”

The University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson and with a reputation for top law, business, medical and engineering schools, also had a competitive basketball program led by Dick Bennett’s son Tony. He brought the same fire to the coaching side that he once had while playing for his dad at UW-Green Bay.

But after Brodgon’s respectable freshman season (6.7 points 2.8 rebounds, 22 minutes a game) he broke a bone in his left foot that forced him to sit out as a sophomore in 2012-'13 as a medical redshirt.

“It was sort of another life-altering experience,” said Brogdon. “Even though I was doing well in school, I put all my eggs in one basket. I had focused so much on basketball.”

“He had a real promising freshman campaign,” said Bennett. “Then he suffered a foot injury. His perspective shifted. He realized, this is a blessing to be able to play. He grew in his faith, he grew in his appreciation for education and love for the game. I saw him shift his mindset, which is hard to do for a 19-year-old.”

Brogdon completed his undergraduate degree in history and then got his master’s degree from Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.

Bennett rescheduled some of his practices so that Brogdon could attend the public policy courses that were set at inflexible hours and dates. The son of an English teacher and member of an academic-minded family himself, Bennett always admired schools like Stanford, which had high academic success with its student-athletes. He wants that for Virginia, so he supported Brogdon.

“Malcolm is one of the most driven players to develop his game so that was never a concern,” said Bennett. “We had a couple of practices we had to change, maybe both semesters, to accommodate him. I thought that was important.”

As Brogdon earned ACC player of the year and defensive player of the year awards, he also received the UVA Alumni Association Ernest H. Ern Distinguished Student Award. In the locker room, his serious smarts earned him the nickname "the President," a nickname that's carried over to the NBA with his Bucks teammates.

“Malcolm could have left for the NBA before he finished that degree,” said Adams. “I’m just so glad he stayed. I know his love is basketball, but I feel he will be able to do other things one day. He showed faith that he will still play, and he got his degree.”

Brogdon, who turned 24 on Dec 11, looks back with gratitude.

He lived in the prestigious Jefferson Academic Village, on-campus housing units originally designed and built by Jefferson.

“It’s a huge honor to be selected to live in them,” said Brogdon. “But once you get in there – it’s tough living. It’s almost like living in a cabin.

“That’s OK. I am very driven, very focused. I have goals and I am determined to meet those goals. In college I wasn’t the guy that partied. I didn’t want to go out and drink. I don’t do any of that. I hang out. I watch Netflix. I keep it very low key.”

Goals to achieve

Bucks coach Jason Kidd sees that there is more than basketball to Brogdon, so he talks to him about different books he might be reading, or what’s going on in the world. Those conversations have made it even easier to take Brogdon under his wing, one point guard to another. Kidd wants to help Brogdon realize his NBA goals.

“He’s just like any quarterback, I want him to just see different things before they take place and not being afraid to take a chance,” said Kidd. “Turnovers happen, but the more you’re receptive to trying I think the better success he’ll have on the floor. He’s really been receptive to that.”

It’s been fun to watch No. 13 work the perimeter very early on in his NBA career. After basketball, a lot of people will be watching to see what Brogdon does with his life, too.

“I want to be Malcolm Brogdon’s campaign manager when he runs for president," Craig Robinson, the Bucks' VP of player development and Michelle Obama's brother, told Dick Bennett at a Bucks practice once. "I just want to get that on the table right now."

Brogdon may work for a non-governmental organization or in a similar role. He could correct flawed public policies, or teach people to farm, rather than just dropping off boxes of food and creating a dependency. He doesn’t exactly know yet – there’s another game to prepare for – but it’s not far from his mind.

“I have a few ideas,” said Brogdon, with a smile.

“When you’re around Malcolm, he has a way about him,” Tony Bennett said. “He’s intelligent, thinks things through. I just want him to make a difference – and enjoy what he does.”