Their first home arena was where they faced the Chicago Bulls for their first ever game which they lost. But they went on to have quite a successful first year by winning twenty-six games.

Early Years

The Bucks drafted Lew Alcindor in 1968 and made it to the playoffs in their second season. The Bucks added Oscar Robertson in 1970 and thus completed their championship team. The Bucks have the distinction of winning the NBA Title in their third season. They defeated the Baltimore Bullets at their home arena. They became the first expansion team of any of the major sports leagues in the country to win a championship so soon after being formed.

Their success story continued as in 1973 they had a 60-win season, their third in a row. They became the first NBA team to achieve this. The Bucks were back in the NBA Finals in 1974 where they faced the Boston Celtics. The Celtics won the championship that year.

The team was bought by Jim Fitzgerald in 1977 and many changes were made. He hired Don Nelson as head coach. They drafted players like Kent Benson and Marques Johnson who made valuable contributions to the team. They added veteran Bob Lanier and rookie Sidney Moncrief in 1979. The next year the Bucks went on to win the Midwest Division title. The Bucks were one of the most successful teams in the 1980’s.

There were more changes in store for the Bucks when Herb Kohl bought the team in 1985 because there were apprehensions that the team would be moved out of Milwaukee. In 1988 they moved to another home arena, the Bradley Center where they play till date. The Bradley Center was built with luxury suites, one of the first in the country. It was built from a donation by Jane Bradley Pettit, a businesswoman, in her father’s memory.

The Bucks had good spells during the 1990’s and had many great players like Vin Baker, Ray Allen, Sam Cassell and Anthony Mason. They were favorites to win the Eastern Conference title in 2001 but unfortunately lost to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Bucks have been playing consistently well through the years but have not been able to repeat their NBA Championship win of 1971. They are nevertheless one of the best teams in the NBA at present.

The Bucks are currently owned by Senator Herb Kohl and their Head Coach is Larry Krystkowiak. The current team roster includes Michael Redd, Jared Reiner and Maurice Williams.