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.
- Founded: 1968
- Home Arena: Formerly the Milwaukee Arena, currently the Bradley Center
- Uniform colors: Purple, Green, and White
- Logo design: The head and shoulders of an eight-point white-tail buck on a triangular background atop stylized "Milwaukee Bucks" lettering
- Current Coach: Vacant (Terry Porter released June 22, 2005)
- 2004-05 Record: 30-52
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Franchise history
The 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.
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 2004-2005 season, plagued with injury problems and a poor defense, the Bucks missed the postseason with a 30-52 record. However, despite only having a 6 percent chance for one of the first three draft picks in the NBA Draft Lottery, the Bucks won the first pick for the 2005 NBA Draft.
Other Franchise Accolades
- NBA Championships - 1: 1971
- Conference Championships - 2: 1971, 1974
- Division Championships - 13: 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 2001
- Playoff Appearances - 24 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
Players of note
Basketball Hall of Famers:
- Lew Alcindor aka Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Dave Cowens
- Wayne Embry (Inducted as a contributor; see Coaches and others section for more details.)
- Alex English
- Bob Lanier
- Oscar Robertson
- Moses Malone
- Julius "Dr. J" Erving (drafted by Bucks)
Not to be forgotten:
- Ray Allen
- Glenn Robinson
- Sam Cassell
- Vin Baker
- Dale Ellis
- Terry Cummings
- Ricky Pierce
- Marques Johnson
- Bobby Dandridge
- Paul Pressey
- Flynn Robinson
Retired numbers:
- 1 Oscar Robertson
- 2 Junior Bridgeman
- 4 Sidney Moncrief
- 14 Jon McGlocklin
- 16 Bob Lanier
- 32 Brian Winters
- 33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Current Roster:
- Michael Redd
- Desmond Mason
- Maurice "Mo" Williams
- Dan Gadzuric
- Toni Kukoc
- Daniel Santiago
- Joe Smith
- Zaur "Zaza" Pachulia
- Erick Strickland
- Anthony Goldwire
- 2005 1st Overall
- 2005 36th Overall
Coaches and others:
Coaches:
- Larry Costello
- Don Nelson
- Del Harris
- Frank Hamblen
- Mike Dunleavy, Sr.
- Chris Ford
- George Karl
- Terry Porter
- Vacant as of June 22, 2005
General Managers:
- Wayne Embry
- Bob Weinhauer
- Ernie Grunfeld
- Larry Harris (Current GM)
Basketball 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.)
External links
- Milwaukee Bucks official web site (http://www.nba.com/bucks/)
- Official Milwaukee Bucks Summer Pro League practice web site (http://www.summerproleague.com/)
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