Established
1968
City
Milwaukee
League History
1968 - Present / National Basketball Association
Team History
1968 – Present / Milwaukee Bucks
Nickname
Bucks – If you’re a sports fan, there’s no doubt that you know about the Milwaukee Bucks. The team has been around since 1968 and is one of the most successful in the history of the NBA. But have you ever wondered where their unique name comes from?
The story behind the Bucks' nickname origin dates back to their establishment in 1968. At that time, Milwaukee was known as “the Cream City" due to its brick manufacturing industry which produced cream-colored bricks for buildings all over Wisconsin and beyond. So it was only fitting that when it came time to choose a nickname for their new basketball team, they chose something related to this iconic city feature: bucks!
Bucks are male deer found throughout North America and are renowned for being powerful yet graceful creatures - qualities that perfectly embody what an NBA team should strive towards on the court each night! Plus, with such an iconic animal already associated with Wisconsin's culture (think hunting season), it made sense for them to become part of the local sports scene by taking on this moniker too!
Furthermore, not only does having "Bucks" as your mascot make perfect sense, but it also makes excellent marketing material – how many products can use antlers or buck heads within their logo design?! It's certainly helped keep them at the top of mind amongst fans across both stateside & internationally alike over recent years, thanks mainly due to its memorable & easily recognizable brand identity created through clever wordplay here!
All in all, then, we can see why choosing ‘bucks’ was such an intelligent decision back then; more than 50 years later, though, we now know just how much impactful this choice has had upon shaping who they've become today - one of America's premier basketball franchises who will continue fight tooth & nail against any opposition put before them until victory is achieved every single night out there on court wherever possible...Go Bucks!!
Championship
NBA Championships 2
2021, 1971
Arena
2019 - Present / Fiserv Forum
2012 – 2018 / BMO Harris Bradley Center
1988 – 2012 / Bradley Center
1968 – 1988 / Milwaukee Arena
Owner
2014 – Present / Wesley Edens & Marc Lasry
1985 – 2014 / U.S. Senator Herb Kohl
1976 – 1985 / Jim Fitzgerald
1968 – 1976 / Milwaukee Professional Sports and Services, Inc.
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
- 1968
- 1968
- 1971
- 1975
- 2015
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Milwaukee Bucks Team Formation
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 Pavilion 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. As is typical with expansion teams, the ... -
Coin Flip for Lew Alcindor
The Bucks’ record that year earned them a coin flip against their expansion brethren, the Phoenix Suns, to see who would get the first pick in the upcoming draft. It was a foregone conclusion that the first pick in the draft would be Lew Alcindor of UCLA. The Bucks won the coin flip but had to win a bidding war ... -
NBA Finals Winner 1971
NBA Finals – 1971 The following season, the Bucks got an unexpected gift when they acquired Oscar Robertson, known as the “Big O”, in a trade with the Cincinnati Royals. Subsequently, in only their third season, the Bucks finished 66–16—the second-most wins in NBA history at the time, and still the most in franchise history. During the regular season, the ... -
Abdul-Jabbar Trade
When the season ended, Abdul-Jabbar made the stunning announcement that he no longer wished to play for the Bucks, stating that he needed the big city, requesting a trade to either Los Angeles or New York. The front office was unable to convince him otherwise and on June 16, 1975, the Bucks pulled a mega-trade by sending Abdul-Jabbar to the ... -
Arena and City is Up in the Air
On July 6, 2015, Bucks president Peter Feigin stated if public funding for a new arena falls through, the NBA may buy the team and move it to Las Vegas or Seattle. The latter city could be the frontrunner, as the city had a proven fanbase with the Seattle SuperSonics (a name the Bucks would more than likely pick up ...
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
History of the Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks, home to NBA Greatest Players like Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1968 as part of the NBA expansion, they have become one of the most successful and storied franchises in league history. The Bucks have won two championships (1971 and 1974), appeared in four conference finals (1971-1974), and made 16 playoff appearances overall. They boast an impressive list of Hall of Famers, including Bob Lanier and Sidney Moncrief.
The Bucks were founded by Wesley Pavalon, who wanted to bring major league sports to his hometown after being inspired by watching games on television while growing up near Chicago’s Wrigley Field baseball stadium. He secured funding for the franchise from several local investors, allowing them to begin to play during their inaugural season at what is now known as the Fiserv Forum arena in downtown Milwaukee near the Lake Michigan shoreline area. During that first year, they drafted future Hall-of-Fame center Kareem Abdul Jabbar with their first pick, which set them up for immediate success that included winning a championship only three years later, led by MVP Finals performer Lew Alcindor who had changed his name from Kareem before joining the team.
The team's fortunes continued throughout the 1970s before declining sharply due mainly to injuries suffered by key players such as Sidney Moncrief during this era. Despite this, the 1980s saw a resurgence under head coach Don Nelson whose innovative offensive schemes helped lead them back into contention, where they would remain until the present day when Giannis Antetokounmpo joined forces with other young stars like Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon, Eric Bledsoe amongst others making it look increasingly likely that another title could be coming soon for long-suffering fans or “Buckaneers” alike!
r “Buckaneers” alike!
Sports Fan Products
From Underdogs to Champions: Exploring the Bucks Rich History
Attention all Bucks fans! Did you know our team has a rich history of overcoming odds and rising to the top? From underdogs to champions, the Bucks have proven time and time again that they are a force to be reckoned with.
Retired Number
1 / Oscar Robertson
2 / Junior Bridgeman
4 / Sidney Moncrief
8 / Marques Johnson
10 / Bob Dandridge
14 / Jon McGlocklin
16 / Bob Lanier
32 / Brian Winters
33 / Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
*Blue is this team’s history