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The Milwaukee Bucks is one of the few teams in the NBA who have won a championship. The Bucks started as an expansion team in 1968 and they missed the playoffs in their inaugural season. However, everything changed the next season when they drafted a tall, skinny kid with an afro named Lew Alcindor.
Alcindor, who changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, was the team’s first superstar. The Bucks became a super team when they acquired Oscar Robertson from the Cincinnati Royals the next season. With the great duo leading the team, the Bucks won their first and only NBA championship in 1971.
After the departure of Kareem, the Bucks were still a very good team throughout the 1980s as they never missed the playoffs during the decade. The team had great players such as Sidney Moncrief, Terry Cummings, and Bob Dandridge.
The Bucks had a slumping 1990s until the arrival of Ray Allen in 1996 but the team never duplicated their early success as a franchise. Nevertheless, the Bucks have produced a number of great players so here their all-time starting five.
Forward – Marques Johnson
One of the players who picked up the team when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar left for Los Angeles, Marques Johnson led the Bucks to the playoffs six times. He spent seven seasons in Milwaukee wherein he was a four-time All-Star and an All-NBA First Team member in 1979.
Johnson also ranks sixth in the team’s all-time scoring list, third in rebounds, ninth in assists, sixth in steals, and ninth in blocks. But despite all the accolades he accomplished with the Bucks, Johnson remains unpopular with the team and fanbase. His #8 jersey has not been retired by the team and it is unknown why they have not done it.
Honorable Mention: Forward – Glenn Robinson
“Big Dog” Glenn Robinson is one of the main players for the Bucks in the 1990s. He was drafted first overall in 1994 and spent eight seasons in Milwaukee. He only led the Bucks to the playoffs three times but he remains one of the team’s best players ever. Robinson has scored the second most points in franchise history, while also ranking sixth in rebounds, seventh in steals, and fifth in three-points made.
Forward – Bob Dandridge
One of the prominent players for the Bucks during the Alcindor Era, Bob Danbridge played for the team from 1969 to 1977. He was one of the key players in the 1971 championship team, playing the small forward position. Danbridge is also a three-time All-Star with the Bucks before getting traded to the Washington Bullets.
In the team’s all-time franchise leaderboard, Danbridge ranks first in minutes played, fifth in points, second in rebounds, eighth in assists, and second in field goals made. His No. 10 jersey has been retired by the Bucks and it hangs on the rafters of the Fiserv Forum.
Honorable Mention: Forward – Vin Baker
Drafted eighth overall by the Bucks in 1993, Vin Baker was groomed to be one of the best power forwards in the game. And he was, for four seasons, three in Milwaukee and one in Seattle. He was a four-time All-Star but struggles with alcohol ruined his career.
Guard – Sidney Moncrief
Sidney Moncrief is one of the best players in Bucks history but also one of the most underrated players of all time. Moncrief carried the Bucks all throughout the 1980s, leading the team to the playoffs to ten playoff appearances from 1980 to 1989. They reached the Conference Finals three times but they fell to the Sixers once and the Celtics twice.
Moncrief spent 11 seasons in Milwaukee wherein he was a five-time All-Star and a two-time Defensive Player of the Year. He has played the second most games in franchise history, while also ranking third in total points, seventh in rebounds and assists and third in steals.
Honorable Mention: Guard – Michael Redd
When Ray Allen was traded by the Bucks in 2003, the team was looking for a new star. They found it in Michael Redd, who became one of the most lethal shooters and scorers in the 2000s.
He was an All-Star in 2004 and he led the Bucks to the playoffs three times. Redd ranks fourth in the team’s all-time scoring list and second in three-pointers made.
Guard – Oscar Robertson
Although Oscar Robertson was past his prime when he arrived in Milwaukee, he was still a great player. Roberson only played four seasons with the Bucks before retiring but he still managed to put up 16.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.
“The Big O” was acquired from the Cincinnati Royals in 1970 and he helped the team win their first and only NBA title in 1971. Robertson also paved the way for bigger guards in the league who can score, rebound and make plays. Due to his contributions to the franchise, the Bucks have retired Robertson’s No. 1 jersey.
Honorable Mention: Guard – Ray Allen
Ray Allen became the franchise’s savior in 1996 after acquiring him from a draft-day deal with Minnesota.
Allen led the Bucks to the postseason three times, with one appearance on the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001. He also ranks ninth in points for the franchise, eighth in steals, and first in three-pointers made.
Center – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
There is no doubt who is the greatest player in Bucks history. It is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was drafted first overall in 1969 as Lew Alcindor. Kareem led the Bucks to their lone NBA championship in 1971 along with Oscar Robertson. He was also a three-time NBA MVP and a six-time All-Star with the Bucks.
But despite his departure from Milwaukee and spending just six seasons with the team, Kareem has the most points and rebounds in franchise history. He also ranks fourth in minutes played, seventh in assists and blocks. He also got his No. 33 jersey retired by the Bucks in 1993, four years after his retirement.
Honorable Mention: Center – Terry Cummings
Although regarded as an NBA journeyman, Terry Cummings played five seasons in Milwaukee. He was a two-time All-Star with the Bucks while also making the All-NBA Second Team in 1985 and the All-NBA Third Team in 1989. Along with Sidney Moncrief, Cummings helped the Bucks made the postseason five times during his entire tenure with the team.
Guess the Lakers players!
