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On January 22nd, 1968, the NBA awarded a franchise to Milwaukee Professional Sports and Services, Inc. (Milwaukee Pro), a group headed by Wesley Pavilion and Marvin Fisherman(1). A fan contest was held to name the new team, with over 40,000 fans participating(1). While the most-voted fan entry was the Robins, named for Wisconsin’s state bird, the contest judges went with the second-most popular choice, the Bucks, which was a reference to Wisconsin’s official wild animal, the white-tailed deer. One fan, R.D. Trebilcox, was awarded a new car for his part in reasoning why the Bucks was a good nickname, saying that Bucks were “spirited, good jumpers, fast and agile.(2)” The Bucks marked a return of the NBA to Milwaukee after 13 years; their previous team the Hawks, played for four seasons in the early 1950s before moving to St. Louis in 1955 (they are now based in Atlanta). 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 Bucks’ first season (1968-69) was a struggle. Their first victory came in their sixth game as the Bucks beat the Detroit Pistons 134-118; they won only 26 more games in their first year. That year, the Bucks’ record earned them a coin flip against their expansion cousins, the Phoenix Suns, to see who would get the first pick in the upcoming draft. It was considered a forgone 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 with the New York Nets of the upstart American Basketball Association (ABA) to secure him(3).
1969-1975: The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar era
With the addition of Alcindor, the Bucks finished with a 56-26 record in 1969-70, second-best in the league behind the New York Knicks. Not only was this a near-reversal of their inaugural season, but the 29-game improvement was the best in league history – a record that would stand for ten years until the Boston Celtics jumped from 29 wins in 1978-79 to 61 in 1979-80. The Bucks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals, only to be dispatched in five by the Knicks in the Eastern finals. Alcindor was a runaway selection for NBA Rookie of the Year.
The following season, the Bucks traded for Cincinnati Royals guard Oscar Robertson to complement Alcindor. Subsequently, the Bucks, now in the Western Conference, finished 66-16, the second-most wins in NBA history at the time, and still a franchise record. During the regular season, the Bucks recorded a then-NBA record 20-game win streak. Posting a 12-2 record in the playoffs, they won their first NBA championship on April 30th, 1971, by sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in four games. By winning the championship in only their third season, the Bucks became one of the fastest true expansion teams in North American professional sports history to win a league championship.
The Bucks remained a powerhouse for the first half of the 1970s. In 1972, Alcindor, who had already privately converted to Islam and changed his name, publicly announced his name change to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Bucks reached the division/conference finals for the third year in a row but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. In 1973, they recorded their third consecutive 60-win season, the first NBA team to do so, but injuries resulted in an early playoff exit. The Bucks were back in the 1974 NBA Finals against the Celtics. In game six of the series, Abdul-Jabbar made his famous “sky hook” shot in a classic double-overtime victory. However, the Bucks then lost in game seven and did not return to the NBA Finals until 2021.
As the 1974-1975 season began, Abdul-Jabbar suffered a hand injury and the Bucks got off to a 3-13 start. After his return, other injuries befell the team, sending them to the bottom of their division with a 38-44 record. When the season ended, Abdul-Jabbar announced that he no longer wished to play for the Bucks and wanted to play in a larger market, either Los Angeles or New York. After the front office was unable to convince him to stay, the Bucks obliged Abdul-Jabbar’s request by trading him to the Lakers on June 16th, 1975, for Elmore Smith, Junior Bridgeman, Brian Winters, and David Meyers. The trade triggered a series of events that led to a change in the team’s ownership. Minority owner and cable television executive Jim Fitzgerald opposed the trade and wanted to sell his stock. Although Fitzgerald was the teams largest single shareholder, he did not own enough stock to control the team.
1969-1975: The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar era
With the addition of Alcindor, the Bucks finished with a 56-26 record in 1969-70, second-best in the league behind the New York Knicks. Not only was this a near-reversal of their inaugural season, but the 29-game improvement was the best in league history – a record that would stand for ten years until the Boston Celtics jumped from 29 wins in 1978-79 to 61 in 1979-80. The Bucks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals, only to be dispatched in five by the Knicks in the Eastern finals. Alcindor was a runaway selection for NBA Rookie of the Year.
The following season, the Bucks traded for Cincinnati Royals guard Oscar Robertson to complement Alcindor. Subsequently, the Bucks, now in the Western Conference, finished 66-16, the second-most wins in NBA history at the time, and still a franchise record. During the regular season, the Bucks recorded a then-NBA record 20-game win streak. Posting a 12-2 record in the playoffs, they won their first NBA championship on April 30th, 1971, by sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in four games. By winning the championship in only their third season, the Bucks became one of the fastest true expansion teams in North American professional sports history to win a league championship.
The Bucks remained a powerhouse for the first half of the 1970s. In 1972, Alcindor, who had already privately converted to Islam and changed his name, publicly announced his name change to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Bucks reached the division/conference finals for the third year in a row but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. In 1973, they recorded their third consecutive 60-win season, the first NBA team to do so, but injuries resulted in an early playoff exit. The Bucks were back in the 1974 NBA Finals against the Celtics. In game six of the series, Abdul-Jabbar made his famous “sky hook” shot in a classic double-overtime victory. However, the Bucks then lost in game seven and did not return to the NBA Finals until 2021.
As the 1974-1975 season began, Abdul-Jabbar suffered a hand injury and the Bucks got off to a 3-13 start. After his return, other injuries befell the team, sending them to the bottom of their division with a 38-44 record. When the season ended, Abdul-Jabbar announced that he no longer wished to play for the Bucks and wanted to play in a larger market, either Los Angeles or New York. After the front office was unable to convince him to stay, the Bucks obliged Abdul-Jabbar’s request by trading him to the Lakers on June 16th, 1975, for Elmore Smith, Junior Bridgeman, Brian Winters, and David Meyers. The trade triggered a series of events that led to a change in the team’s ownership. Minority owner and cable television executive Jim Fitzgerald opposed the trade and wanted to sell his stock. Although Fitzgerald was the teams largest single shareholder, he did not own enough stock to control the team.
Oscar Robertson
Photo Credit:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Photo Credit:
https://www.skysports.com/nba/news/36244/12013027/kareem-abdul-jabbars-iconic-sky-hook-howd-he-do-that
Photo Credit:
https://www.skysports.com/nba/news/36244/12013027/kareem-abdul-jabbars-iconic-sky-hook-howd-he-do-that
