A half-century of success: A look at the Milwaukee Bucks' NBA Championships

On July 20, 2021, the Milwaukee Bucks made history as they secured their second NBA Championship title. The energy inside Fiserv Forum stadium, filled with more than 16,500 fans, was exemplified by the additional 65,000 fans in the surrounding Deer District. With a final score of 105 - 98, the Bucks triumphed over the Phoenix Suns - repeating a similar heroic story that happened nearly 50 years earlier.

The Milwaukee Bucks’ first NBA championship happened back in 1971, only three years after the Bucks began as an expansion team in the NBA. Head coach Larry Costello led the then Western Conference team to a 66-16 record during the regular season. Led by star players Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson and Jon McGlockin, the 1971 team averaged 116 points per game during their championship season.

The 1971 Milwaukee Bucks team (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Milwaukee started the playoffs strong with two 4-1 series wins, first over the San Francisco Warriors in the opening round and then against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Those wins set up a matchup against the Baltimore Bullets in the 1971 NBA Championship, where the Bucks would sweep the Bullets, 4-0, just thesecond title sweep in league history. 

Although Milwaukee’s title can be attributed to the overall stacked team, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played a large part in the Bucks’ success. Abdul-Jabbar finished first in the league in scoring (31.7 points per game), second in field goal percentage (57.7%) and fourth in rebounding (16.0 per game) en route to being named NBA MVP for the 1970-1971 season.

The Bucks’ new superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, mirrored Abdul-Jabbar’s success this past season. Along with a stellar regular season, Antetokounmpo’s strength during the NBA Championship Final was critical to Milwaukee’s success. Antetokounmpo scored 50 points, collected 14 rebounds, had 5 blocks, and made 17-for-19 foul shots. Giannis’ 50-point night was the sixth-highest scoring performance in Finals history, according to basketball-reference.com.

NBA Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (Jonathon Daniel/Getty Images)

Antetokounmpo, Abdul-Jabbar and many others remain icons for the NBA franchise, working to carry on the pride that runs deep within the Milwaukee Bucks. With a second title finally secured after years of hard work, the future remains bright for the Milwaukee Bucks.