Bradley Beal was drafted with the 3rd overall pick in the 2012 draft by the Washington Wizards, and has ever since become a superstar in the league. Coming in at 6’3, the Shooting Guard is slightly undersized by NBA averages, but he does not let that affect him. 

Bradley Beal is a two-time All-Star, being selected in 2018 and 2019. However, during the 2020 season, Beal took a huge step in his career as he evolved as a player. Beal averaged 30.5 points per game, yet was not selected for the All-Star game or the All-NBA rosters for the season. Beal quickly became known as one of the biggest snubs in the history of the All-Star game. 

Bradley Beal has broken many records since the 2019-20 season, including scoring 50+ points on back to back nights, becoming the first player to achieve such a feat since the late great Kobe Bryant in March 2007. On January 6th, 2021, Beal scored 60 points against the Philadelphia 76ers, a point total no Wizard had put up since Gilbert Arenas in 2006. However, all of these impressive performances were bittersweet for Beal, since all three ended in losses for the Washington Wizards. 

A reason for the lack of recognition for Beal is the lackluster performances by the Washington Wizards. After Point Guard John Wall went down with an achilles injury in 2018, the team has not been able to make a playoff appearance ever since. 

The defense of the Washington Wizards has been a huge liability throughout the past few years, and even Beal recognized that. After a loss against the Boston Celtics this season, Beal said in an interview that “It’s our defense. I don’t know why it’s our defense. At this point, we can’t guard a parked car.”

Beal has started the 2020-21 NBA season leading the NBA in scoring with 34.5 points per game, continuing his hot run of scoring while putting up MVP numbers. After last season’s lack of recognition, Beal is on track to become an All-Star Starter and even be part of the All-NBA teams for the first time.