Milwaukee Bucks
Spirited, good jumpers, fast and agile.
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and play home games at Fiserv Forum. Former U.S. senator Herb Kohl was the long-time owner of the team, but on April 16, 2014, a group led by billionaire hedge fund managers Wes Edens and Marc Lasry agreed to purchase a majority interest in the team from Kohl, a sale which was approved by the owners of the NBA and its Board of Governors one month later on May 16. The team is managed by Jon Horst, the team's former director of basketball operations, who took over for John Hammond. The Bucks have won two league championships (1971, 2021), three conference titles (Western: 1971, 1974, Eastern: 2021), 19 division titles (1971–1974, 1976, 1980–1986, 2001, 2019–2024), and the 2024 NBA Cup.
- Season Record
- 57–25
- Final Playoff Round
- Eastern Conference finals
- Playoff Opponent
- Boston Celtics
Lore & Background
The Bucks were founded in 1968 as an expansion team. In their first season (1968–69), they won only 27 games. They won a coin flip for the first pick in the 1969 draft and selected Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). In 1969–70, they improved by 29 wins, then a league record. In 1970–71, after trading for Oscar Robertson, they finished 66–16, recorded a then-NBA record 20-game win streak, and won the NBA championship by sweeping the Baltimore Bullets. The Bucks reached the 1974 NBA Finals but lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games. After Abdul-Jabbar was traded to the Lakers in 1975, the team entered a transition period. In 1977, the Bucks drafted Marques Johnson and later acquired Bob Lanier. They won six straight division titles in the 1980s but never reached the NBA Finals. In 1983, they became the first team to sweep the Boston Celtics in a best-of-seven playoff series. The Bucks won their second championship in 2021.
In Their Own Story
In the 1985–86 campaign, the Bucks operated without red on their jerseys, showcasing uniforms that displayed multiple shades of green along the sides. This visual change accompanied a season where the team achieved a 57–25 record, proving their strength as a contender. The narrative of this year was driven by their run to the Eastern Conference finals, where they faced the Boston Celtics. While the Bucks fought hard throughout the regular season, the series against Boston ultimately stopped them from advancing further, marking the final chapter of that specific green-themed era before it concluded years later in 1992–93.
Reader's Guide
For much of the 1970s, the Bucks' colors were forest green, deep red and white. In 1978, they added various shades of green to the uniforms. In 1985, they eliminated red from the team colors. The team plays home games at Fiserv Forum.
Did You Know?
- The Bucks are the only NBA team to have won a championship in both the Eastern and Western Conference.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the only players to win Finals MVP for the franchise.
- The Bucks' 29-game improvement from 1969–70 to 1970–71 was the best in league history until the Boston Celtics jumped from 29 wins in 1978–79 to 61 in 1979–80.
- In 1983, the Bucks became the first team to sweep the Boston Celtics in a best-of-seven playoff series.
More in Great Rivalries & Feuds
Elsewhere in the Boston Celtics universe
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