This era of Milwaukee Bucks basketball is truly a treat for fans born in the late 1980s or 1990s who had to endure decades of mediocre or downright terrible teams. Sure, the years with Sam Cassell, Ray Allen, and Glenn Robinson were competitive, making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001, but their era did not compare to this one.
Despite two first round exits in a row, the Bucks’ core four of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez ensure that their championship window remains open for another few years. Indeed, there were times when just making the NBA Playoffs were considered a successful season in Milwaukee.
The journey to building the Bucks into a contender was not a short one. The near two decades between the breakup of the Cassell-Allen-Robinson Big Three and the emergence of Milwaukee as a title contender were fraught with years of poor basketball.
The Milwaukee Bucks Had Hoped Larry Sanders Could Be Their Long-Term Center
The 2010-11 Milwaukee Bucks had some high expectations coming into their season. The previous year, they had gone 46-36 under Scott Skiles, but lost to the Atlanta Hawks in seven games in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs. That little taste of success had many believing that maybe, just maybe, the Bucks could build a contender after all.
With the 15th pick in the NBA Draft that season, Milwaukee selected center Larry Sanders out of VCU. At six-foot-eleven, Sanders boasted an even longer wingspan that made him a reliable rim protector.
And that he was. During his five seasons with the Bucks, Sanders never averaged less than 1.2 blocks per game in a season, reaching 2.8 blocks per game in the 2012-13 season when he finished seventh in Defensive Player of the Year voting and third in Most Improve Player voting. He also averaged 9.8 points and 9.5 rebounds that year.
Unfortunately, his NBA career would not last much longer after that season.
Former Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach Jason Kidd Forced Larry Sanders to Take a Year Off
Sanders’ career started to take a nosedive when the Bucks brought in Jason Kidd as their head coach. According to the book Giannis: The Improbable Rise of a NBA MVP, Kidd was so verbally and mentally abusive to Sanders that he had to take a year off from playing for the sake of his mental health.
According to the book, Kidd ran the Bucks’ team so much in one practice that Sanders’ body started convulsing. When Kidd called him “pathetic” and said he had to run some more, Sanders excused himself to the bathroom. Instead of going there, though, he went to the hospital.
Sanders sat out of the 2015-16 citing mental health concerns. After that, he played just five games for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016-17 before his NBA career was over.
Former Milwaukee Bucks Center Larry Sanders Selected 2nd Overall in the Big 3 Draft
Since 2019, Sanders has been competing in Ice Cube’s Big 3 basketball league, a three-on-three league that boasts many former NBA players. This year, Sanders was taken with the second overall pick in their annual draft:
Roscoe Smith, Shakur Juiston #UNLVmbb @thebig3 pic.twitter.com/12A89HSe3d
— Tony Cordasco (@TonyDasco) May 25, 2024
In the past, former Bucks players Drew Gooden, Nate Robinson, and Joe Alexander have also competed in the league.
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
