There’s no denying that Wes Edens and Marc Lasry, the current owners of the Milwaukee Bucks organization, would not be where they are right now had it now been for Herb Kohl. This is literally the case because it was Kohl who decided to sell his stake in the franchise to Edens and Lasry back in 2015 for $550 million.
The current team owners have now spoken out about the passing of their predecessor, and it comes as no surprise that both Edens and Lasry had nothing but great things to say about a great man.
Milwaukee Bucks Owners React to Death of Herb Kohl
Edens recently reflected on his own relationship with Kohl as he described the latter’s unbridled love for the Bucks and the city of Milwaukee:
“It’s nice to even think about the time that we spent together and what he did,” Edens said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “In many circumstances, whether it’s business or friendship, my dad would say, ‘Don’t pay attention to what people say, pay attention to what people do.’
“And there’s no better example that I can think of than what he did to ensure that the Milwaukee Bucks stayed in Milwaukee. That’s extraordinary.
Lasry also had the same sentiments about the former United States senator from Wisconsin:
“He was a gentleman,” Lasry told The Athletic. “He was old school. I found him to just be a man of integrity who cared deeply about people and you knew it. He was a person who cared about the city of Milwaukee and who wanted to help and do things for the benefit of the city, whether people know it or not.”
Laying Out the Road Map
Kohl remained a key figure for the organization even after he sold the team. He also played an integral role in the transition of the organization to the new owners.
“He did a great job when we first came to town in helping us to lay out the road map for the political organizations and who the people were that he thought were most important, both locally and across the state,” Edens said. “And he introduced us to everybody, regardless of whether it was Republican or Democrat or anything else, there was no party affiliation. He just introduced us to the people that we would need to deal with and work constructively with.
“And that was incredibly helpful. I met with him many times in the coffee shop at the Pfister (Hotel). And we would catch up as we were building the arena about how things were going and what we were doing. So we had a great dialogue for it, but he was very careful to maintain distance from the team because his time had passed as steward and it was our time now. And he was very respectful of that.”
All of Kohl’s hard work and effort — both during his time as the team owner and beyond — stemmed from his passion to see to it that the Bucks would be the best team it could be.
“He was happy to be there,” Lasry said. “I think it meant a lot to him that the people of Milwaukee loved the Bucks. He loved seeing everybody and talking to people. He was a big part of the community, so I think he wanted to remain a part of the community. The Bucks were a big part of his life.”
“… For me, it was actually just great seeing him when I would come to games, because every time I’d see him there (at games), I’d go over to say hello,” Lasry said. “I’d ask him if he needed anything, and he’d always say the same thing. ‘Just make sure they win tonight.’”
Herb Kohl’s legacy will forever live on with the Milwaukee Bucks.
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