50 Fun Facts About Milwaukee Bucks

In what year were the Milwaukee Bucks founded as an expansion team?

They marked the NBA's return to Milwaukee 13 years after the Hawks left for St. Louis.

Which name received the most fan votes in the 1968 contest before judges chose Bucks instead?

Robins honoured the state bird; the judges preferred the reference to Wisconsin's official wild animal, the white-tailed deer.

What did fan R. D. Trebilcox win for explaining why Bucks was a good nickname?

He said bucks were "spirited, good jumpers, fast and agile."

Which team did the Bucks beat in a 1969 coin flip for the right to draft Lew Alcindor?

They still had to win a bidding war with the ABA's New York Nets to sign him.

By how many wins did the Bucks improve in Alcindor's rookie season of 1969-70, then a league record?

They went 56-26, second only to the Knicks, and Alcindor was a runaway Rookie of the Year.

Which guard did the Bucks acquire from the Cincinnati Royals before their 1970-71 championship season?

The team went 66-16, still a franchise record, and reeled off a then-record 20-game winning streak.

Whom did the Bucks sweep in the 1971 NBA Finals for their first title?

It was the first Finals between two expansion teams, and the Bucks won it in only their third season.

What was the Bucks' regular-season record in 1970-71, still the franchise best?

It was the second-most wins in NBA history at the time.

The famous sky hook in double overtime of game six of the 1974 Finals came against which team?

The Bucks lost game seven and did not return to the Finals until 2021.

The Bucks were the first NBA team to do what across the 1971, 1972 and 1973 seasons?

Injuries ended the 1973 run with an early playoff exit.

Which four players did the Bucks receive from the Lakers for their superstar centre in June 1975?

Kareem had asked to play in a bigger market, and minority owner Jim Fitzgerald opposed the deal so strongly it triggered an ownership change.

Who became Bucks head coach in November 1976 after Larry Costello abruptly resigned?

Nellie's teams went on to win six straight division titles.

Which three first-round picks did the Bucks take in the 1977 draft?

Marques Johnson became a staple of the team, and Sidney Moncrief debuted two years later.

Which artist designed the MECCA court that debuted at the Milwaukee Arena in 1977-78?

The Bucks' 2018-19 City uniform paid homage to its yellow, beige and red design.

Which broadcaster coined the word "Bango", later the mascot's name, for long-range baskets?

He used it most often for sharpshooter Jon McGlocklin.

Bango made his home debut in October 1977 against which returning former Buck?

His original outfit was just a green wool sweater with a B on the front.

What injury did Bango suffer falling through a hoop at the 2009 All-Star Weekend?

He recovered to perform a back-flip dunk from a 16-foot ladder in the 2010 playoffs.

Which former US senator was the Bucks' long-time owner until 2014?

He sold a majority stake to Wes Edens and Marc Lasry but kept a minority share.

For how much did the long-time owner agree to sell a majority interest in the Bucks in 2014?

The buyers pledged money toward a new arena to keep the team in Milwaukee.

Whom did the Bucks take with the first overall pick in the 1994 draft?

Big Dog arrived during a franchise-record seven straight losing seasons.

Where did Ray Allen play college basketball before the Bucks acquired him on draft day in 1996?

He was the fifth overall pick and formed a big three with Big Dog and Sam Cassell.

Which coach, hired in 1998, led the Bucks to within one game of the 2001 NBA Finals?

Ernie Grunfeld was general manager, and the era's slogan was "Light It Up".

Which two players did the Bucks receive from Seattle for Ray Allen in 2003?

The trade opened playing time for the emerging Michael Redd.

Which ESPN commentator most likely coined the slogan "Fear the Deer"?

It caught on with Andrew Bogut's Squad 6 fan section and became a playoff battle cry.

With which pick in the 2013 draft did the Bucks select Giannis Antetokounmpo?

The Greek forward had been playing for Filathlitikos in Athens.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was born in Athens to parents from which country?

His father was a footballer and his mother a high jumper before they moved from Lagos.

In which two consecutive seasons did Giannis win the NBA MVP award?

That made him one of only three players, with Kareem and LeBron, to win two MVPs before turning 26.

Whose coaching rights did the Bucks acquire from Brooklyn in July 2014 for two second-round picks?

Kidd went 139-152 over three and a half seasons before being fired in January 2018.

Which former Hawks coach did the Bucks hire in May 2018?

Fiserv Forum opened three months later, in August 2018.

What series deficit did the Bucks overcome to beat Phoenix in the 2021 Finals?

They became only the fifth team to win the title after losing the first two games.

How many points did Giannis score in the title-clinching game six of the 2021 Finals?

It tied Bob Pettit's 1958 record for a series-clinching game, and he added 14 rebounds and five blocks.

Which Big Three team did the Bucks beat in seven games in the 2021 conference semifinals?

Game seven was won on the road at Barclays Center against Durant, Irving and Harden.

The Bucks are the only NBA franchise to have won a championship in which two configurations?

They won the 1971 title as a Western Conference team and the 2021 title in the East.

Which seven-time All-Star point guard did the Bucks acquire in a three-team trade in September 2023?

Coach Adrian Griffin was fired after 43 games and replaced by Doc Rivers.

Whom did the Bucks beat in Las Vegas in December 2024 to win their first NBA Cup?

Giannis was named the tournament MVP.

How much public money went into Fiserv Forum, out of a total cost of about half a billion dollars?

The city sold the downtown land to the team for one dollar.

The Bradley Center's naming rights were sold in 2012 to which bank?

BMO Harris had merged with Milwaukee-based M&I Bank the year before.

What is the name of the primary colour the Bucks adopted in their 2015 rebrand?

It refers to Milwaukee's supposed Algonquian meaning, and cream replaced red as an accent colour.

Which coach reached the NBA Finals with Seattle before taking over the Bucks in 1998?

Under him the Bucks reached the 2001 Eastern Conference finals.

Which two Bucks players have won the NBA MVP while with the team?

Between them they hold five MVP awards, and they are also the only two Bucks Finals MVPs.

Which college did Sidney Moncrief lead to the 1978 Final Four before joining the Bucks?

He remains the Razorbacks' career rebounding leader at 6 foot 4.

What was Giannis Antetokounmpo's family name at birth?

The Greek transliteration of the Yoruba surname produced the spelling the NBA knows.

Roughly how many fans took part in the 1968 contest to name the new Milwaukee franchise?

The judges passed over the top vote-getter, the Robins, for the runner-up Bucks, a nod to Wisconsin's official wild animal.

Which Bucks player did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar punch in an October 1977 game, breaking his own hand?

Abdul-Jabbar, a martial arts black belt, was fined $5,000 and missed 20 games; Benson never played as aggressively again.

Which veteran centre did the Bucks acquire from Detroit in 1980 to fill the hole left by Abdul-Jabbar?

The veteran centre filled the hole left by Abdul-Jabbar's departure and Milwaukee won the Midwest Division that year.

How many straight losing seasons, a franchise record, did the Bucks post from 1991 to 1998?

Coaches Frank Hamblen, Mike Dunleavy and Chris Ford presided over a decade with three playoff trips and a single playoff win.

Joe Alexander, the Bucks' eighth pick in 2008, was the NBA's first player born in which country?

He was drafted the same day Milwaukee traded Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons to New Jersey for Richard Jefferson.

Where had Brandon Jennings played the year before the 2009 draft, having skipped college?

John Salmons, acquired midseason from Chicago, led that surprise playoff team with 19.9 points a game in a Bucks uniform.

After how many games did the Bucks fire head coach Adrian Griffin in January 2024?

Doc Rivers took over three days later; the Bucks still lost in the first round to Indiana with Giannis sidelined by injury.

Which team upset the Giannis-less Bucks in the first round of the 2024 playoffs?

Milwaukee had finished 49-33 as the third seed, but Antetokounmpo missed the whole series with a late-season injury.