Since their founding in 1968, the Milwaukee Bucks have had many great talents wear green throughout the franchise’s history. Hall-of-Famers like Gary Payton and Bob Lanier have both played in Milwaukee, but their impact during their time with the franchise isn’t enough to land them a spot among the best Milwaukee Bucks players. The best players for a single franchise should be considered the players who had the most significant effect on the team.
With that being said, let’s take a look at the top eight Milwaukee Bucks in History.
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:
Some call him the greatest ever to play, and with good reason. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was drafted by Milwaukee in 1969 with the first overall pick and led the franchise to their first title in just his second NBA season. In that season, Kareem averaged an absurd 34.8 points on 57.4 FG% to go along with 16.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game, earning him his first of three NBA MVP trophies with the Bucks.
In his short time with Milwaukee, Kareem accomplished what most don’t in their entire career.
- Rookie of the Year
- 6x All-Star
- 5x All-NBA
- 3x MVP
- 2x Scoring Champion
- 1971 NBA Champion
- 1971 Finals MVP
While he spent only six seasons in Milwaukee before he was traded to play in purple and gold, he remains the team’s all-time leading scorer (14,211) and rebounder (7,161). Kareem earned an NBA record six MVP trophies throughout his career and finished as the NBA’s all-time top scorer. Both records he still holds to this day.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
The reigning Finals MVP. At just 26 years old, the Greek Freak has already made a case for himself as the greatest ever to don a Milwaukee Bucks uniform. After finishing a historic Finals run averaging 35.2 points and 13.2 rebounds per game, his resume is remarkable for someone his age.
- 2x MVP
- 5x All-Star
- 5x All-NBA
- 1x Defensive Player of the Year
- 4x All-Defensive
- 2021 NBA Champion
- 2021 Finals MVP
In the last thirteen months alone, Antetokounmpo has acquired the Defensive Player of the Year Award, an NBA Championship, Finals MVP, All-Star Game MVP, and regular-season MVP.
Giannis will undoubtedly go down as the greatest Buck to ever play when it’s all said and done, but for now, he’s right on the heels of Kareem. He’s less than 2,000 points away from passing Abdul-Jabbar as the Bucks leading scorer, and with just a few more seasons, will overtake him as the greatest Buck.
3. Oscar Robertson
While his best years were in Cincinnati playing for the Royals, Oscar Robertson played a massive part for the Bucks in his final four seasons. He was the second option on the 1971 championship squad averaging 23.5 points, 9.5 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in their four finals games.
Oscar made two all-star games and won a championship with Milwaukee before retiring in 1974. His career accomplishments include:
- 1964 MVP
- 11x All-NBA
- 12x All-Star
- 6x Assist Champion
- 3x All-Star Game MVP
- Rookie of the Year
- 1971 NBA Champion
Robertson also led the NBA in all-time triple-doubles for decades with 181 in total but was recently passed by Russell Westbrook last season.
While his prime years may not have been in Milwaukee, his valuable contributions to the franchise in their first-ever title have earned him one of the top spots on this list.
4. Sidney Moncrief
Sidney was drafted by the Bucks in 1979 and stayed with Milwaukee for all but one season of his NBA career. His defensive prowess for Milwaukee earned him five All-NBA Defensive Team appearances and two Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Moncrief earned himself quite the resume in Milwaukee:
- 5x All-Star
- 5x All-NBA Defensive Team
- 5x All-NBA
- 2x Defensive Player of the Year
- 4th on Milwaukee’s all-time scoring list
Sid is one of only five guards to win the Defensive Player of the Year award, accompanying Alvin Robertson, Michael Cooper, Gary Payton, and Michael Jordan. He’s proven to be one of the best defensive guards in NBA History.
5. Ray Allen
Most current basketball fans know Ray Allen on teams like the Boston Celtics or the Miami Heat, but some of his best playing days were in Milwaukee. Allen played six full seasons with the Bucks, averaging 19.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 494 total games with the franchise.
Allen got drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth pick in the 1996 NBA Draft but was traded to Milwaukee for their fourth pick (Stephen Marbury) later that night. He ended up being named an All-Star in three of his six seasons with the Bucks.
Ray averaged 22.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game in his three-year string of All-Star appearances. He also shot 40.6% from three-point range on over five attempts per game in his six seasons with Milwaukee. He went on to win an NBA title with the Celtics and the Heat later in his career and retired with the most three-pointers made in NBA History (2,973).
6. Bob Dandridge
Bobby was taken in the fourth round in the 1969 Draft (yes, drafts could go over 20 rounds in the 1960s) by Milwaukee and stayed with the franchise the majority of his 13-year career.
Dandridge started all 14 playoff games in 1971 on their way to the franchise’s first-ever NBA Championship. In that playoff run, Bobby averaged 19.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game.
His franchise records include:
- 1st in Minutes
- 3rd in Games Played
- 2nd in Field Goals Made
- 3rd in Rebounds
- 6th in Points
- 10th in Assists
He won his second NBA title in Washington in 1978, averaging over 21 points per game. He would return to Milwaukee in his final season before officially retiring in 1982. In his 618 games with Milwaukee, he averaged 18.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on 48.7% shooting.
7. Michael Redd
Despite only making one NBA All-Star game, Michael Redd filled the score every night in the early 2000s. Redd was selected to Third Team All-NBA team and his one All-Star appearance in 2004, where he averaged 21.7 points per game.
Redd then went on to average over 20 points per game for the next five seasons, including a career-high 26.7 points per game in the 2006-07 season.
In 2002, Redd made eight three-pointers in the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets, setting a record for most three-pointers made in a single quarter. Klay Thompson had since broken that record in 2015. Redd also holds the record for most points scored in a game in franchise history, with 57 points scored against the Utah Jazz in 2006.
Some other career accomplishments for Redd include:
- 5th on Bucks All-Time scoring List
- 5th in Bucks All-Time Scoring Average
- Gold Medal with Team USA in the Fiba Americas Championship
- Gold Medal with Team USA in the 2008 Olympics
Redd’s career came to an unfortunate end after ACL tears, but he has gone down as one of the deadliest scorers in Bucks history.
8. Marques Johnson
The man Michael Jordan looked up to growing up. Marques Johnson was the third overall selection in the 1977 NBA Draft and played seven full seasons with Milwaukee. Johnson, also known as “Slammer” for his high flying dunks, helped lead the Bucks to six postseason appearances in his seven years with the franchise. During his time with the Bucks, Marques Johnson made four NBA All-Star games and selected the All-NBA team three times.
Marques Johnson inspired plenty of the upcoming generation of future NBA players, including His Airness, Michael Jordan, at a young age. Jordan had a poster hanging of Johnson in his dorm room at the University of North Carolina.
“I loved your game. I love your game in college.” Jordan once told Johnson at a pick-up game.
Johnson would be traded from Milwaukee in 1984 for fellow Bucks legend Terry Cummings to the Los Angeles Clippers, where he would appear in one more NBA All-Star game before retiring in 1990 after dealing with neck injuries for his last few seasons.
