The Milwaukee Bucks, a professional American basketball team based in Milwaukee, plays in the Central Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team plays its home games at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The franchise’s General Manager is Jon Horst, previously the Director of Basketball Operations, who took over the role in 2017 from John Hammond.
The Bucks were originally founded in 1968, when the NBA awarded a franchise to the Milwaukee Professional Sports and Services. They held a competition to name the new team. Although it was actually the name “Robins” that won (which was Wisconsin’s state bird), the judges decided to go with the second-place entry — the Bucks. Milwaukee hadn’t had a franchise in the NBA for 13 years, when their previous team, The Hawks, moved to St. Louis, Missouri (and then to Atlanta, Georgia).
The Milwaukee Bucks played their first game in the NBA in October 1968 against the Chicago Bulls. Like most expansion teams, they spent the first few seasons struggling. They got their first win after six games – and only won 27 games in the entire first season. It was this record that earned them a coin flip against the Phoenix Suns to see which team would get the first pick in the next NBA Draft. The Bucks won the flip but they also had to also win a bidding war with the ABA to get the most sought after player – Lew Alcindor of UCLA (Alcindor would later change his name to Kareem Abdul Jabaar).
The Bucks acquired Alcindor and earned a very nice record the next season. They ended that campaign with a record of 56-26, which was second only to the New York Knicks. This 29-game improvement was the biggest in the history of the NBA – and stayed that way for ten years until the Boston Celtics improved by 32 wins between seasons. The Bucks made it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals that year but lost to the New York Knicks. Meanwhile, their first draft pick, Alcindor, was well in line for the Rookie of the Year award.
The team dominated their division in the early 1980s, winning 6 consecutive Central Division titles from 1980 to 1986. However, the 1990s was the era of struggles for the Bucks and they were floating around in a mire of mediocrity, only reaching the playoffs just three times in ten years and only winning one individual playoff game.
It was during this time that their draft picks were instrumental to success. In 1994, the team drafted Glenn Robinson out of Purdue. Although he was a touted player in the draft, it was not until 2000 that he made the All-Star Game.
The Bucks acquired Ray Allen in a trade with the Timberwolves in 1996. He would stay with the team until 2003 with a trio of All-Star selections during his time in Milwaukee.
It was these two players that helped the Bucks resurgence in the NBA. However, it was a bad decision made in 1998 that would haunt them. With the ninth pick in that year’s draft, the Bucks chose Dirk Nowitzki, a player that they traded with the Mavericks for Robert Traylor. This deal would go on to become one of the most one-sided trades in the history of the NBA. Robert Traylor’s career was not significant while Nowitzki would lead Dallas to an NBA title. This trade is often mentioned in “what if” scenarios in NBA history (ie. “What if the Bucks had kept Nowitzki?”).
Milwaukee’s resurgence started in the early 2000s and the team went through many changes in order to get back to its former glories. They won the division title again in 2001, but it was only in recent years that their dominance started to grow again. They have won five consecutive division titles thanks, in part, to Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks also won an NBA championship at the 2021 NBA Finals. In total, the team has won 18 Division Titles, 3 Conference Titles, and 2 NBA Championships.
Interesting Fact
The mascot of the Bucks is Bango the Buck, named after Eddie Doucette (The Voice of the Bucks). Bango used to have prime logo status but he has since been replaced with a more serious looking deer. However, Bango remains a firm fan favorite.
How about Robert Traylor vs. Dirk Nowitzki for career starts? The two players were traded for one another in 1998. Traylor started 73 games in his entire career. Nowitzki started 1460.
Milwaukee Bucks: Management and Coaching
Owners: Wes Edens, Jimmy Haslam, Jamie Dinan, Mike Fascitelli
President: Peter Feigin
General Manager: Jon Horst
Head Coach: Adrian Griffin
Milwaukee Bucks 2023 NBA Draft Picks
The Milwaukee Bucks finished in first place in the Eastern Conference in 2022/23. However, the Miami Heat eliminated the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. The Bucks did not have much to do in the NBA Draft. With the final pick of the draft, they selected Chris Livingston out of the University of Kentucky. This was the only activity for Milwaukee on the evening of the draft, which was June 22nd, 2023.
Milwaukee Bucks season preview 2023/24
The Milwaukee Bucks will be trying to contend once again. They still have Giannis Antetokounmpo in his prime. But at the age of the 28 years old, basketball experts will be thinking his best years will be closing soon. That puts some pressure on the Bucks in the next couple of years to try and get another title or at least another deep playoff run.
Jrue Holiday is now 33 years old. His contributions remained solid last season but fans of the Bucks have to be worried about when he will start to drop off. There is not a lot of depth to the Bucks as of their late-June roster. If the Bucks end up with Grayson Allen starting the huge majority of games again, then Milwaukee might be in a little trouble. Those that consider the Bucks to be a top-three favorite for the NBA title might be overating the team a little.
Current Milwaukee Bucks Players Under Contract
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Jrue Holiday
- Bobby Portis
- Pat Connaughton
- Grayson allen
- MarJon Beauchamp
- Jevon Carter
- Lindell Wigginton
Key Milwaukee Bucks Free Agency Players 2023
Khris Middleton is the key free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks do have other players currently in free agency, including Brook Lopez, Jaw Crowder, Joe Ingles, Goran Dragic, and others. However, these players are all veterans whose best basketball may be behind them. If Khris Middleton signes elsewhere, then Milwaukee will be on the hunt for a small forward.
Previous Milwaukee Bucks Draft Selections Since 2000
Year Round Pick Player Pos Age Pre-Draft Team
2023 2 58 Chris Livingston SF 19 Kentucky
2022 1 14 MarJon Beauchamp SG 21 Yakima Valley
2021 2 31 Isaiah Todd PF 19 Capital City GoGo
2020 1 24 RJ Hampton G 19 New Zealand
2020 2 45 Jordan Nwora F 22 Louisville
2019 1 30 Kevin porter Jr SF 19 USC
2018 1 17 Donte DiVincenzo SG 21 Villanova
2017 1 17 DJ Wilson F 21 Michigan
2017 2 48 Sindarius Thornwell SG 22 South Carolina
2016 1 10 Thon Maker C 19 Athlete Institute Prep
2016 2 36 Malcolm Brogdon SG 23 Virginia
2016 2 38 Patrick McCaw G 20 UNLV
2015 1 17 Rashad Vaughn SF 18 UNLV
2015 2 46 Norman Powell SG 22 UCLA
2014 1 2 Jabari Parker F 19 Duke
2014 2 31 Damien Inglis PF 19 Chorale Roanne Basket
2014 2 36 Johnny O’Bryant FC 21 LSU
2014 2 48 Lamarr Paterson F 22 Pittsburgh
2013 1 15 G.Antetokounmpo F 18 Filathlitikos Div II Greece
2013 2 43 Ricky Ledo GF 20 Providence
2012 1 14 John Henson PF 21 North Carolina
2012 2 42 Doron Lamb SG 22 Kentucky
2011 1 10 Jimmer Fredette G 22 Brigham Young
2011 2 40 John Leuer PF 22 Wisconsin
2010 1 15 Larry Sanders PF 21 VCU
2010 2 37 Darington Hobson GF 22 New Mexico
2010 2 44 Jerome Jordan C 23 Tulsa
2010 2 47 Tiny Gallon C 19 Oklahoma
2009 1 10 Brandon Jennings G 19 Virtus Roma
2009 2 41 Jodie Meeks G 21 Kentucky
2008 1 8 Joe Alexander SF 21 West Virginia
2008 2 37 Luc Mbah a Moute F 21 UCLA
2007 1 6 Jianlian Yi F 19 Guangdong Dongguan
2007 2 56 Ramon Sessions G 21 Nevada
2006 2 39 David Noel SF 22 North Carolina
2005 1 1 Andrew Bogut C 20 Utah
2005 2 36 Ersan Ilyasova F 18 Alpella BK
2003 1 8 TJ Ford PG 20 Texas
2003 2 35 Szymon Szewczyk F 20 Basketball Lowen
2003 2 43 Keith Bogans GF 23 Kentucky
2002 1 13 Marcus Haislip FC 20 Tennessee
2002 2 33 Dan Gadzuric FC 24 UCLA
2002 2 41 Flip Murray SG 22 Shaw
2002 2 47 Chris Owens SF 23 Texas
2001 2 51 Andre Hutson F 22 Michigan State
2000 1 15 Jason Collier FC 22 Georgia Tech
2000 2 43 Michael Redd G 20 Ohio State
2000 2 49 Jason Hart G 22 Syracuse
Milwaukee Bucks Draft Picks FAQs
Who did the Bucks lose to in the 2023 NBA playoffs?
The Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Miami Heat four games to one. It marks one of the only times that a No. 1 seed in the NBA playoffs has lost in the first round.
