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MILWAUKEE BUCKS

The Milwaukee Bucks were founded in 1968 as one of two expansion franchises that year. The team nickname was taken from a fan contest, but the most popular entry did not win. Robins, named for Wisconsin’s state bird, gathered the most votes, but the contest judges went with the second-place pick – Bucks, after the state’s official animal, the white-tailed deer.

Milwaukee struggled its first season in the NBA, but with the addition of Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) the following season, the franchise improved tremendously. The Bucks won the franchise’s only NBA title in 1971 after they established a franchise record for wins (66) during the regular season.

Milwaukee appears regularly on national broadcasts on ABC, ESPN, ESPN+, TNT, and NBA TV. Fans can watch regional coverage on FOX Sports Wisconsin. Games can be streamed using the FOX Sports GO app or fans can watch the Bucks complete schedule with NBA League Pass.

HOME OF THE BUCKS

The Bucks first played at the Milwaukee Arena/Mecca Arena up until 1988 when they moved into the Bradley Center. In 2018, the Bucks moved to their current home, the Fiserv Forum. It is the second-newest arena in the NBA and it will seat a capacity crowd of 17,341 for Bucks’ games.

CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

Milwaukee is the fastest franchise to go from expansion to an NBA title doing so in three years. The Bucks beat Washington in four games to win the 1971 NBA title. Milwaukee made it back to the NBA Finals in 1974 but lost to Boston in seven games.

The 1971 and 1974 seasons represent the only two conference titles in franchise history. The Bucks have won a total of 14 division titles (1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 2001, and 2019). Milwaukee has made 31 trips to the NBA playoffs.

BEST OF THE BUCKS

Alcindor was the first pick in the 1969 NBA draft. He would play the first seven years of his 21-year NBA career in Milwaukee. He won his first NBA title and NBA Finals MVP as a Buck. He was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1970 and led the league in scoring twice (1971, 1972). He would go on to become Abdul-Jabbar and win five more NBA titles, a total of six MVPs, and become the league’s all-time leading scorer.

Hall of Fame guard Oscar Robertson finished his career in Milwaukee playing his final five years as a Buck. The “Big O” went to 12 straight All-Star games, including three as a Buck. His arrival in Milwaukee was one of the big reasons why the Bucks won the 1971 NBA title and played for another in 1974.

Sidney Moncrief was the fifth overall pick in the 1979 draft and played 12 years in Milwaukee. He was known for his outstanding leaping ability and defense. Twice, Moncrief won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year (1983, 1984). He was a five-time All-Star and was inducted into both the College and Pro Basketball Halls of Fame.

Marques Johnson was the third overall pick in the 1977 draft. He played his first eight NBA seasons in Milwaukee. Johnson was a five-time All-Star who finished his NBA career with an average of 20.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.