Marshall Plumlee was a four-year player at Duke, helping the team win a national championship in 2015, who then went on to play 29 games in the NBA between the Knicks and Bucks (he spent much of his two NBA seasons bouncing between the NBA and G-League).
While at Duke he was a member of the ROTC, then became a member of the New York National Guard while with the Knicks. When his NBA career didn’t work out as he hoped, the seven-footer enrolled in the Army.
This weekend, he graduated from Army Rangers school — Plumlee is an Army Ranger. From the military newspaper Stars & Stripes (hat tip to NBA Reddit).“From the NBA to leading the way!” wrote Gen. David Hodne, head of the Army’s Infantry School at Benning, in a tweet accompanying a photo of himself with Plumlee at the school’s rappel tower. “Proud of today’s Ranger School graduates including 2LT Marshall Plumlee.”
After ROTC at Duke, Plumlee commissioned in the New York National Guard in 2017, while playing for the Knicks. He signed with the Milwaukee Bucks and played for them in the 2018 season. His two older brothers play in the NBA.
Plumlee’s mother, who played college basketball at Purdue, pinned his tab on him.
From the NBA to leading the way! Proud of today’s Ranger School graduates including 2LT Marshall Plumlee. RLTW! pic.twitter.com/eVdGneJqmo
— David Hodne (@Dave_Hodne) August 30, 2019
https://www.instagram.com/p/B13rvQ7FlL_/
The Plumlee brothers had Marshall’s back. Miles was there for the ceremony over the weekend (Mason is with Team USA in China for the FIBA World Cup).
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1zk3zvlLYu/
For those unfamiliar with the Rangers, it’s an elite fighting unit that often takes on dangerous missions on short notice all over the globe. They have both combat and airborne training, and the two-month Ranger school is legendary for how it pushes its students to get only the best for the unit.
Congratulations to Plumlee, that is an honor earned, not given. He will do our country proud.