Milwaukee Bucks

While Wisconsin sports fans may be reeling from the Bucks' tough loss in the Eastern Conference Finals, Lake Effect sports contributor Shaun Ranft says fans should take solace in what was an extraordinary season by all accounts.

The Milwaukee Bucks' season came to a devastating end on Saturday. After winning the first two games in the series, the Bucks lost the next four to the Toronto Raptors, eliminating them from the NBA Playoffs. Giannis Antetokounmpo enjoyed an MVP-level season while leading the Bucks to the best regular-season record in the NBA. Antetokounmpo’s a household name now, but up until six years ago he was undocumented.

When you think of the NBA in Milwaukee - of course, the Milwaukee Bucks come to mind. We’ve got Giannis, a fiesty team, and a new arena. But what was pro basketball like here before the Bucks?

The new Bucks arena is the world's first bird-friendly arena, according to the U.S. Green Building Council. Bryan Lenz, bird collision campaign manager with the American Bird Conservancy, had a lot to do with Fiserv Forum's owner's decision to consider bird safety.

Updated Jan. 13, 2019

The Bradley Center's steel roof was demolished Sunday with explosives.

R.I.P. Bradley Center pic.twitter.com/xFKY8Sg7UM

— Nathan Marzion (@natemar3i0n) January 13, 2019

Mentors can help at-risk children stay in school, go to college and find a job. Even though there are many mentorship programs in Milwaukee, the efforts are piecemeal. But there’s a new organization in town that’s meant to bring together and bolster the city's mentorship programs.

 Originally published Oct. 29, 2018

The expectations for the Milwaukee Bucks are high this year. The team has generally lived up to them, getting off to a fast start in their new arena, the Fiserv Forum. Longtime fans know that things don’t always work out, but newer fans might not be as familiar with some of the up-and-down half-century history of the basketball team that calls Milwaukee home.

Around 4,000 construction workers put in nearly 2 million work hours to build the Milwaukee Bucks' new $524 million arena. But now that the construction is done, the focus turns to more long-term jobs.

Fiserv Forum opened last Sunday to great fanfare as tens of thousands of people stopped by the grand opening for a look inside.

Bucks leadership and local politicians, including Gov. Scott Walker and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, assembled in front of the building to offer some remarks and cut the ribbon to mark the arena’s official opening.

The Milwaukee Bucks open their NBA season this evening in Boston, against the Celtics.  They’ll play their first game at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.  It’ll be the last opening night at the arena the team has called home since 1988.

In a feature in the October issue of Milwaukee Magazine, writer Zach Brooke explores the new arena that is rising downtown.