The Milwaukee Bucks are one of the best teams in NBA history. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson led them to their first championship, while Giannis Antetokounmpo won his second with the Bucks.
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Lately, the Milwaukee Bucks have been a serious contender in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks have won four straight Central Division titles since 2019. With the way the team is currently playing, the Bucks could win five straight titles. The Bucks have won 17 division titles, three Eastern Conference titles, and two NBA titles. The two championships were separated by 50 years and led by two generations of players.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Giannis Antetokounmpo may have been five years apart on their way to leading Milwaukee to a title, but their legacy will live on forever. The top two players could have a scrimmage, but what about the rest of Bucks history? The two Finals MVPs werenāt the only greats in green and white. Dating back to 1968, the Bucks have had many successful players, as evidenced by their nine retired jerseys. Letās take a look at these players.
These are the 10 greatest Milwaukee Bucks players of all time.
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quinn buckner
Years in Milwaukee: 6 (1976-1982)
Milwaukee: 10.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 5.2 APG, 2.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Career: 8.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.9 steals, 0.1 blocks
Honors: 4 All-Defensive Second Teams (1978, 1980-1982)
Buckner was selected by the Bucks with the seventh overall pick in the 1976 NBA draft. He quickly developed into one of the best defensive players in franchise history. Buckner was named to the All-Defensive Second Team four times, including three straight years between 1980 and 1982.
In 1984, Buckner won the championship with the Celtics. Unfortunately, due to his years of hard work, he was never able to win a championship in Milwaukee. He has a reputation for being a hard worker, but the numbers also bear it out. To this day, Buckner remains the only player in franchise history with more than 1,000 steals. His 1,042 steals hold the franchise record.
Junior Bridgeman
Credit: Getty Images
Years in Milwaukee: 10 (1975-1984, 1986-1987)
Milwaukee: 13.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Career: 13.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.3 blocks
Honor: No. 2 retired by the Bucks
Bridgeman was āMr. Reliableā during his years with the team. He played 81 or 82 games in his first five seasons in the league. Bridgeman played 77 games in 1980-81, 70 in 1982-83 and then 81 in 1983-84. His consistency is the reason for his most appearances, with 711 appearances. However, that record is likely to be broken this season as Giannis Antetokounmpo catches up to him with 691 games played.
That being said, Bridgeman is a consistent 50 percent shooter. Bridgeman was sixth in both two-pointers and field goal attempts. Eight players have more than 1,000 career points with the Bucks. Bridgeman finished ninth with 9,892 points. For these reasons, his No. 2 jersey was retired in 1988.
paul pressy
Years in Milwaukee: 8 (1982-1990)
Milwaukee: 11.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.6 BPG
Career: 10.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.6 blocks
Honors: 2 All-Defensive First Team (1985, 1986), All-Defensive Second Team (1987)
When it comes to solid players, Pressey is an iron horse. That included Nov. 7, 1988, when Pressy played the full 48 minutes due to an injury to a teammate. During his Bucks career, Pressey was a small forward who could have been a point guard. Pressy was also a two-time All-Defensive First Team selection and participated in the 1986 Slam Dunk Contest.
Pressey still leads the Bucks in assists with 3,272. However, like his former teammate at Junior Bridgeman, he will see the record broken. Antetokounmpo has nearly 3,207 career assists. Regardless, Pressey will remain an all-time great.
Andrew Bogut
Photo credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Years in Milwaukee: 7 (2005-2012)
Milwaukee: 12.7 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.6 BPG
Career: 9.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.6 steals, 1.5 blocks
Honors: All-NBA Third Team (2010), All-Rookie First Team (2006), Shot Leader (2011)
The Bucks had a disastrous 2004-05 season that resulted in the team being awarded the No. 1 pick in the draft. The team used that option on center Andrew Bogut. In his fourth season, Bogut averaged a double-double in the league. His best season came in 2009-10, when he averaged a career-high 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. The following year, Bogut led the league in blocks with 2.6.
While Bogut never became an All-Star and didnāt live up to the expectations of the No. 1 pick, Bogut was a prolific player. He was one of Milwaukeeās few All-NBA players. Bogut ranks fifth in offensive rebounding and total rebounding and third in defensive rebounding. He ranks fourth all-time in blocked shots.
brian winters
Image credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Years in Milwaukee: 8 (1975-1983)
Milwaukee: 16.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.3 blocks per game
Career: 16.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.3 blocks per game
Honors: 2-time All-Star selection (1976, 1978), All-Rookie First Team (1978), Bucks retired No. 32
Winters spent the beginning of his career with the Lakers, but joined the team in 1975. He spent eight successful seasons until his retirement in 1983. After the Bucks struggled following the departure of Kareem Abdul, Winters became a fan favorite with the team. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975. During that time, Winters made the All-Star team twice.
Winters ranks eighth in games played and minutes played. He also ranks seventh in field goal percentage and two-point percentage. His best performance on record was fourth in assists. Heās also one of seven players on the team with at least 700 steals, seventh overall. His 9,743 career points just finished in the top 10.
Glenn Robinson
Image credit: Porter Binks-USA TODAY Sports
Years in Milwaukee: 8 (1994-2002)
Milwaukee: 21.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.6 blocks
Career: 20.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.6 blocks
Honors: 2-time All-Star (2000, 2001), All-Rookie First Team (1995)
After an illustrious career at Purdue, the Bucks selected Robinson with the No. 1 pick in the 1994 NBA Draft. It took Robinson a few years to be named an All-Star, but he made back-to-back selections in 2000 and 2001. Robinson is a player who averaged at least 20.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in seven of his eight seasons with the team.
Stamina is a strength as he finishes with the fourth most minutes. That fits with his reputation for scoring, which ranks him fourth all-time. With those shots, Robinson holds the record for missed field goals. Robinson ranks fifth in free throws made, sixth in 3-pointers made and seventh in total rebounds. It all goes back to scoring, though, and his 12,010 career points rank him third all-time.
Baker
Image credit: Darren Yamashita ā USA TODAY Sports
Years in Milwaukee: 4 (1993-1997)
Milwaukee: 18.3 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 2.7 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.3 BPG
Career: 15.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.0 blocks
Honors: 3-time All-Star (1995-1997), All-NBA Third Team (1997), All-Rookie First Team (1994)
Baker was selected by the Bucks with the 8th overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft. He built his success with three All-Star selections in four seasons with the Bucks. Baker averaged at least 20.0 points per game in two of his four seasons, including 21.1 points and 9.9 rebounds in 1995-96. The following year, he was an All-NBA third team pick with 21.0 points and 10.3 rebounds.
In four seasons, Baker still ranks sixth in offensive rebounding. He averaged 18.3 points per game for the Bucks, just outside the top 10 on the teamās scoring list. If Baker had stayed longer, weād have seen a better rĆ©sumĆ©. That being said, Baker never made the playoffs with the Bucks and was later traded to the Sonics.
Alvin Robertson
Credit: Getty Images
Years in Milwaukee: 4 (1989-1992)
Milwaukee: 12.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 5.0 APG, 2.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Career: 14.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.7 steals, 0.4 blocks per game
Accolades: All-Star (1991), 2-time All-Defensive First Team (1987, 1991), 2-time All-Defensive Second Team (1989, 1990), Stealer Champion (1991)
Robertson was a defensive guru for the Spurs from 1984 to 1989. When Robertson came to the Bucks, the expectations were the same, and he delivered. Robertson was named to the All-Defensive Team in each of the four seasons. That includes leading the league in steals, which he has done three times in his NBA career. Robertson averaged 3.0 steals per game in 1990-91, his only All-Star selection with the team.
Robertson holds the franchise record with 2.7 steals per game. His 4.3 percent steal rate is also a franchise record. His 753 career steals rank sixth. If Robertson plays at least two more seasons, he will become just the second player to reach at least 1,000 career steals.
10. Michael Reid
Image credit: Dennis Wierzbicki ā USA TODAY Sports
Years in Milwaukee: 11 (2000-2011)
Milwaukee: 20.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Career: 19.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.1 blocks per game
Honors: All-Star (2004), All-NBA Third Team (2004)
The 2000s were a lackluster year for the Bucks. The team has never done anything to surprise league fans. However, there is one player that keeps you at the end of your seat and thatās Michael Reed. From 2004 to 2009, Reid averaged at least 20.0 points per game. His All-NBA appearances averaged 21.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. That wasnāt even his best season. In the 2006-07 season, Reid averaged 26.7 points, 3.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
Reidās team has struggled in this era, but itās not entirely on him. A lot of the time, Reed was on offense. Reed is one of three players with at least 1,000 3-pointers. He also ranks third in free throw attempts with 2,425. He has 11,554 career points and an average of 20.0 points per game, ranking sixth all-time.
9. Terry Cummings
Image credit: Milwaukee Bucks/Twitter
Years in Milwaukee: 6 (1984-1989)
Milwaukee: 19.4 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Career: 16.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.5 blocks
Accolades: Two-time All-Star (1985, 1989), All-NBA Second Team (1985), All-NBA Third Team (1989)
A former No. 2 pick in the 1982 draft, Cummings didnāt see his career take off until he joined the Bucks. After leaving the Clippers, Cummings was named to the All-Star Game in his first season with the Bucks. This also includes selection to the All-NBA Team. Cummings played at least 80 games in three of his six seasons and no fewer than 76 games during his tenure.
For the Bucks, Cummings was a skilled offensive rebounder. His 1,307 offensive rebounds still rank third. He ranks sixth in defensive numbers and total rebounds, which contribute to his overall defensive rating. Cummings ranks seventh in defensive win shares and ninth in bench value. As a member of Milwaukee, he was one of the few teams to make multiple All-NBA teams.
8. Ray Allen
Years in Milwaukee: 7 (1996-2003)
Milwaukee: 19.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Career: 18.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.2 blocks per game
Honours: 3-time All-Star (2000-2002), All-NBA Third Team (2001), Three-Point Shootout Champion (2002), All-Rookie Second Team (1997)
Some people forget that before Ray Allenās 3-point range with the Sonics and Celtics, he was doing the same thing for 7 yearsā¦
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