Milwaukee Bucks

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The Milwaukee Bucks are a National Basketball Association team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The current franchise owner is U.S. Senator Herb Kohl.

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Home arenas

Milwaukee Arena (now U.S. Cellular Arena) (1968-1988)
Bradley Center (1988-present)
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From Beginnings To An NBA Title

Image:OldMilwaukeeBucksLogo.gifThe Milwaukee Bucks were formed in January 1968 when the NBA awarded a franchise to Milwaukee Professional Sports and Services, Inc. (Milwaukee Pro), a group headed by Wesley Pavalon and Marvin Fishman. In October, the Bucks played their first NBA regular season game against the Chicago Bulls before a Milwaukee Arena crowd of 8,467. On April 30, 1971, the Bucks won Game 4 of the NBA Finals over the Baltimore Bullets in Milwaukee 118-106, to win the NBA Championship. The championship was won faster than by any other expansion team in professional sports history (3rd season). In 1972, the Los Angeles Lakers had their record 33-game winning streak snapped by the Bucks during a nationally televised game, and in 1973 the Bucks recorded their third consecutive 60-win season, the first NBA team to do so. However, the Bucks pulled a mega-trade by sending Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Lakers for Elnore Smith, Junior Bridgeman, Brian Winters, and David Meyers.

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A Magnificent Run (1978-91)

After the mega-deal, the Bucks brought with them several seasons in transition, but later on, most of these players would bare fruit. After being sold to cable television executive Jim Fitzgerald in 1977, the Bucks would enter in another era of greatness. It began with coach Don Nelson. In the 1977 draft, the Bucks drafted in Marques Johnson, Kent Benson, and Mark Grumfeld. Johnson would become a staple in the Bucks for years to come. Rrookie Sidney Moncrief made his debut in 1979. In 1979, the Bucks also brought in veteran center Bob Lanier to fill in the hole left by the departure of Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar. They then won the Midwest Division title in 1980. After losing to Seattle in the Semifinals, the Bucks moved to the Eastern Conference's Central Division. There, they would win 6 straight division titles and have .500 seasons for the next 11 years.

In 1985, Milwaukee businessman (and now U.S. Senator) Herb Kohl bought the Bucks after fears that out-of-town investors could buy the team and move it out of Milwaukee. In 2003, after considering selling the team, Kohl announced that he had decided against selling the Bucks to Michael Jordan and would "continue to own them, improve them and commit them to remaining in Wisconsin."

In the 1988-89 season, after 20 years at the 11,052-seat MECCA (Milwaukee Arena, now U.S. Cellular Arena), the Bucks moved into the new 18,700-seat Bradley Center, located directly across the street from the MECCA in downtown Milwaukee. The Bradley Center was one of the first arenas in the country to be built with luxury suites. The Bradley Center was privately financed from a $90 million donation from Milwaukee businesswoman Jane Bradley Pettit in memory of her father.

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Since 1991

After the magnificent run the Bucks had in the 1980's, fortunes changed for the worse. To honor their 25th Anniversary in 1993, the Bucks changed their uniforms, replacing the cartoonish deer in favor of a more regal one. Also, red was replaced by purple. Instead of "christmas colors," the Bucks now had uniforms that resembled popular kids' show character Barney.

From the 1994-95 season on, the Bucks were led by the strong offensive play of Glenn Robinson. The Bucks obtained Robinson the first selection in the 1994 NBA Draft Lottery. Robinson himself was never able to bring the team far into the playoffs, this would, however, help the Bucks in the long-run. With the steady additions of talent such as Ray Allen, Tim Thomas, and Sam Cassell the Bucks would grow to become an elite team in the Eastern Conference.

After so many mediocre seasons, the Bucks' patience paid off by winning a Central Division title in 2001. The team was guided by the strong offensive play of Allen, Cassell, and Robinson and the coaching of George Karl. The Bucks, however, would ultimately lose in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, coming within points of making it to the NBA Finals.

Behind the srong encouragement of George Karl, the Bucks acquired Anthony Mason in the 2001 offseason. Statistically this made the Bucks the team to beat in the Eastern Conference for the 2001-02 season. On the court and off, team chemistry was destroyed by the presence of Mason. The Bucks played far below expectations and failed to make the NBA playoffs. The resulting fallout caused tension between the teams three stars and coach, resulting in the eventual trades of Glenn Robinson to Atlanta, Sam Cassell to Minnesota, and Ray Allen to Seattle along with the firing of Karl.

The 2003-04 mid-season trade of Ray Allen to the Seattle SuperSonics allowed for increased playing time for Michael Redd. With Redd paired with rookie T.J. Ford in the backcourt, the Bucks would finish the season with a 41-41 record and make the playoffs. Redd was selected to the NBA All-Star team during the season.

In the 2004-05 season, plagued with injury problems and a poor defense, the Bucks missed the playoffs with a 30-52 record. T.J. Ford was forced to miss the entire season, still suffering from a back injury he suffered during the end of the 2003-04 season.

Following the 2004-05 season, the Bucks were placed in the NBA Draft Lottery. Despite only having a 6% chance for the first selection in the lottery, the Bucks won the first pick for the 2005 NBA Draft, which was used to select Andrew Bogut of the University of Utah.

On April 1, 2006 the Bucks set a new NBA record for the fewest team turnovers in one game when they committed just two turnovers in a 96-89 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Earlier that week, on March 28, they set a new NBA record with 11 3-pointers in a quarter, another new NBA record with 14 3-pointers in a half, and a team record with 18 3-pointers in a 132-110 shootout victory over the Phoenix Suns.

The Bucks finished the 2006 Regular Season with a loss to the Wizards, giving them a 40-42 record, dropping them to the 8th seed in the East. The Bucks will play the Detroit Pistons in the 1st round of the 2006 NBA Playoffs. The Pistons won the regular season series 3-1, with all three Pistons wins coming in close games.

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Franchise Accolade Summary

  • NBA Championships - 1: 1971
  • Conference Championships - 2: 1971, 1974
  • Division Championships - 13 (6 Midwest, 7 Central): 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1980 (all Midwest), 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 2001 (all Central)
  • Playoff Appearances - 25 Times: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006
  • All-time Win-Loss Record (regular season; as of the end of the 2005-06 season): 1656 wins, 1428 losses (.537 winning percentage)
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Players of Note

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Current Coaching Staff:

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Hall of Famers:

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First Overall Picks:

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Not To Be Forgotten:

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Retired Numbers:

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Coaches and Others:

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Coaching History:

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General Manager History:

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Hall of Famers:

  • Wayne Embry (Former general manager; inducted as a contributor. When he became GM of the Bucks in 1971, he was the first African-American to serve in that position in the NBA. He would later go on to be the NBA's first African-American team president with the Cleveland Cavaliers.)
  • K. C. Jones (Former assistant; inducted for his playing career with the Boston Celtics.)
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External links

National Basketball Association (2005–06)
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division: Boston Celtics | New Jersey Nets | New York Knicks | Philadelphia 76ers | Toronto Raptors
Central Division: Chicago Bulls | Cleveland Cavaliers | Detroit Pistons | Indiana Pacers | Milwaukee Bucks
Southeast Division: Atlanta Hawks | Charlotte Bobcats | Miami Heat | Orlando Magic | Washington Wizards
Western Conference
Northwest Division: Denver Nuggets | Minnesota Timberwolves | Portland Trail Blazers | Seattle SuperSonics | Utah Jazz
Pacific Division: Golden State Warriors | Los Angeles Clippers | Los Angeles Lakers | Phoenix Suns | Sacramento Kings
Southwest Division Dallas Mavericks | Houston Rockets | Memphis Grizzlies | New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets | San Antonio Spurs
Other Articles: NBA Finals | NBA All-Star Game | NBA Draft | Current team rosters |

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