The Milwaukee Bucks has been an integrated part of the NBA since 1968. In the franchise’s 55-year history, the Bucks have won 3 conference championships (1971, 1974, 2021) and two NBA championships (1971-2021).
They finished last place in their division during their inaugural season. Although they won 11 more games than their fellow expansion team, the Phoenix Suns, they won a coin toss to get the first overall draft pick in the 1969 NBA Draft. Thanks to that pick, the Bucks chose Lew Alcindor, who would eventually be recognized as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the masses. After winning their first championship in 1971, they eventually reached title town again in 2021, exactly 50 years ago.
In their long history, the Bucks have had plenty of NBA legends don the forest green jerseys. So, how would a roster of the all-time Bucks players be? Let’s start with the starting five.
Starting Milwaukee Bucks PG: Oscar Robertson
Before joining the Bucks in the 1970-1971 season, Oscar Robertson was one of the best guards of the 1960s. He spent most of his career on the Cinncinatti Royals, now known as the Sacramento Kings.
In his first season with the Bucks, Oscar’s scoring dropped to 19.4 points from the season prior, where he averaged 25.3 points. Yet, his rebounding and assists totals didn’t falter too much. When the Big O got to Milwaukee, he worked with a young Kareem to win his first and only NBA Championship. He snagged an all-NBA honors in his first season with the team.
During his four seasons with the Bucks, Oscar Robertson averaged roughly 16-5-8. He had two all-star appearances and four playoff appearances. His last series in the league was when the Bucks lost to the Celtics in the 1974 finals four games to three. Oscar Robertson was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.
Starting Milwaukee Bucks SG: Sidney Moncrief
Sidney Moncrief was drafted by the Bucks and spent 10 seasons in Milwaukee. He is shown receiving the game ball from Bucks coach Don Nelson after scoring his 10,000th point in 1987.
1987 Press Photo Milwaukee Bucks Sidney Moncrief Receiving The Game Ball
With the Bucks having one of the game’s greatest facilitators at point guard, it is only fitting to have a defensive legend in the backcourt. Sidney Moncrief became the first-ever defensive player of the year and won the award back-to-back years.
In his ten seasons with the Bucks, Moncrief was an all-star for five straight seasons between 1981 and 1985. He was also a five-time all-defense and five-time all-NBA between those five seasons. Moncrief averaged 16.7 points, 5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.3 steals. Sidney was a legendary perimeter defender who helped the Bucks make several playoff appearances in the 1980s.
Starting Milwaukee Bucks SF : Marques Johnson
Marques Johnson gets the starting spot at Small Forward because he’s a perfect blend of what a traditional small forward should be: agile like a guard and strong as a power forward. He was a strong dunker with fantastic finishing skills at the rim.
During his seven seasons with the Bucks, Johnson was a 4-time all-star and 4-time all-NBA, including his rookie season, where he won Rookie of the Year. Outside of his time at Cream City, he won comeback player of the year in his 85-86 season with the Clippers. With the Bucks, Johnson averaged 21-7-4, along with 1.3 steals and a block per game.
Starting Milwaukee Bucks PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Greek Freak seems like he’ll be a lifetime Bucks player, and the fans love him. His astronomical development into a dominant big man seemed to come out of nowhere.
The 15th draft pick in the 2013 draft would go on to notch seven all-star appearances, seven all-NBA honors, an all-rookie honor, the 2016-2017 most-improved player, five all-defensive honors, two regular season MVPs, the 2019-2020 defensive player of the year, and the 2021 NBA Finals championship.
Giannis improved his game by gaining healthy weight over time, improving his ability to bully defenders in the paint and on the fast break. He has the handles of a guard and improved his shooting. Giannis has averaged 22.8-9.6-4.7 during his career, along with a steal and a block in his game.
Starting Milwaukee Bucks C: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
The starting center has to be the man who once held the record for most points scored for several decades until LeBron broke it last season. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the 1st overall draft pick in the 1969 draft. He spent the first six seasons of his career in the Cream City.
Kareem once scored 55 points in a game during the 1971 season. That was the all-time Milwaukee Bucks record until Michael Redd broke it by dropping 57 off his astounding 3-point shooting that game in 2006.
“The Big Fella” averaged 30-15-4.8 during his six seasons with the Bucks while averaging a steal and 3.4 blocks per game. Blocks and Steals were first counted as official stats in the 1973-1974 season, and Kareem is currently 3rd all-time in blocks. So imagine how many more blocks Kareem would’ve averaged if they counted them earlier. When he retired, he was the all-time blocks leader.
During his time in Wisconsin, Kareem was an all-star for every season he was on the Bucks. He notched four all-defenses, five all-NBA honors, the all-rookie honor, the 1969-1970 Rookie of the Year award, and 3 of his eventual 6 MVP awards.
Now, onto the bench:
6th man: Ray Allen
The Bucks drafted Ray Allen in the 1996 NBA Draft. Unlike how most NBA fanatics know Ray Allen’s primary game to be from beyond the arc, Ray Allen was an offensive juggernaut for a guard’s height. He was a dunker and took many more shots below the rim or in the air. He led the Bucks to a deep playoff run in the 2001 playoffs but lost to the 76ers.
Allen would be a reliable sixth man as he adjusted well to reduced minutes with the Celtics and Heat. Allen averaged 19.6-4.6-3.6 and averaged 40.6% from the 3-point arc. Ray Allen earned three all-star honors.
7th: Michael Redd
Michael Redd can arguably be a prototype player in today’s game. He was known as someone who could get a bucket from almost anywhere with a mixed bag of post moves, handles, and ways to finish at the rim. He holds the Bucks record for most points in a game with 57. In his 11 seasons, he averaged 19-4-2 while shooting 45% from the field.
8th: Paul Pressey
Paul Pressey played alongside Sidney Moncrief as another strong defender who helped the Bucks through several playoff runs. Pressey was a two-way player who could score and play valuable on-ball and off-ball defense. He was a 3-time all-defensive player for three years straight between 1984-1986. In his eight seasons on the Bucks, the point forward averaged 12-5-6 with 1.5 steals per game.
9th: Vin Baker
The “Shake and Bake” played four seasons with the Bucks before going to Seattle in 1997. The center/power forward combo roughly averaged 18-10-3-1-1. He is a traditional big man in the 90s era of basketball. He was a 3-time all-star and 2-time all-NBA on the Milwaukee Bucks.
10th: Jon McGlocklin
Jon has the nickname “The Original Buck” for being a part of the inaugural Milwaukee Bucks team in the 1968-1969 season. He was very famous for being able to shoot from long range. If the three-point arc was in his main playing days, he could’ve been discussed as one of the best three-point shooters of his time. He was a one-time all-star and averaged 12.6-2.4-3.2 in his eight seasons with the team. Jon averaged 50.6% field goal percentage during those eight seasons.
11th: Brook Lopez
Brook Lopez is famous for being the Nets’ all-time leading scorer and possibly having one of the greatest play-style evolutions out of any NBA player. Brook significantly extended his playing days by developing a better shooting game from long-range and far inside the arc.
The Milwaukee Bucks saw their need for 3-point shooters and a solid defensive presence after the 2018 playoffs. Giannis couldn’t do it alone, so Brook joined the Bucks in the 2018-2019 season. He gained two all-defensive honors, was a runner-up for the 2022-2023 Defensive Player of the Year award in his 15th season, and won the 2021 NBA Championship. In his six seasons with Milwaukee, he averages 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game.
12th: Bob Dandridge
Bob Dandridge is a traditional power forward who crashed the glass and got his buckets along with Kareem on the front court for several years. He was a part of the 1971 championship team and got three all-star nods. Bob left the Bucks in the 1977 season but returned to the Milwaukee Bucks for his last season in 1981. He averaged 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game.
13th: Jrue Holiday
Jrue Holiday gave a strong defensive presence to the Bucks’ frontcourt in his three short seasons with the team. During his three-season stint, he was a 2021 NBA Champion and a one-time all-star, and he averaged 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists with 1.5 steals per game. Jrue cracked over 50% shooting in his first two seasons with the team.
14th: Brandon Jennings
The Compton native was a young offensive weapon known to get hot anytime. In his five seasons with the Bucks, he averaged 16.7 points with 1.4 steals from off-ball defense.
15th: Terry Cummings
“The Preacher” had an interesting NBA career as a journeyman. He played for seven teams throughout his career. Terry played with Milwaukee from 1984 to 1989 and made a random return for one year in the 1995 to 1996 season, playing a reduced role for the team. He averaged a solid 19 points and eight rebounds in his six seasons with the Bucks. Terry got two all-star and two all-NBA honors during his first five seasons with the team.
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2 Comments
Jennings, Cummings, and Johnnie Mac don’t belong.
Replace them with Middleton, Cassell, and Pierce.
Haha…since you chose 15, I would add the three 2 way contracts (and your three players still don’t make the cut).
Those go to Bridgman, Winters, and Sikma.
You might want to do a better job editing.
The Bucks won in 2021 exactly 50 years LATER (not ago).
Redd also HELD (not holds) the points record at 57. The specifics of that should have been in Redd’s bio, not Kareem’s. (Giannis has broken the record, which you seem not to be aware of)