page_title: Milwaukee Bucks
section_title: 1969–1975: The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar era
hierarchical_section_title: Milwaukee Bucks / Franchise history / 1969–1975: The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar era
caption_attribution_description: English: Professional basketball player Oscar Robertson
context_page_description: The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and play at the Fiserv Forum. Former U.S. Senator Herb Kohl was the long-time owner of the team, but on April 16, 2014, a group led by billionaire hedge fund managers Wes Edens and Marc Lasry agreed to purchase a majority interest in the team from Kohl, a sale which was approved by the owners of the NBA and its Board of Governors one month later on May 16. The team is managed by Jon Horst, the team's former director of basketball operations, who took over from John Hammond in May 2017.
  The Bucks have won one league title, two conference titles, and 15 division titles. They have featured such notable players as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Sidney Moncrief, Oscar Robertson, Bob Dandridge, Bob Lanier, Glenn Robinson, Ray Allen, Sam Cassell, Junior Bridgeman, Michael Redd, Terry Cummings, Vin Baker, Jon McGlocklin, Marques Johnson, and Brian Winters.
context_section_description: With the addition of Alcindor, the Bucks finished with a 56–26 record in 1969–70, second-best in the league behind the New York Knicks. The 29-game improvement was the best in league history – a record which would stand for ten years until the Boston Celtics jumped from 29 wins in 1978–79 to 61 in 1979–80. The Bucks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals, only to be dispatched in five by the Knicks in the Eastern finals. Alcindor was a runaway selection for NBA Rookie of the Year.
  The following season, the Bucks traded for Cincinnati Royals guard Oscar Robertson to complement Alcindor. Subsequently, the Bucks finished 66–16, the second-most wins in NBA history at the time, and still a franchise record. During the regular season, the Bucks recorded a then-NBA record 20-game win streak. Posting a 12–2 record in the playoffs, they won their first NBA championship on April 30, 1971, by sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in four games. By winning it all in only their third season, the Bucks became the fastest true expansion team in the history of North American sports to win a championship.
  The Bucks remained a powerhouse for the first half of the 1970s. In 1972, Alcindor converted to Islam and changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the Bucks reached the conference finals but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. In 1973, they recorded their third consecutive 60-win season, the first NBA team to do so, but injuries resulted in an early playoff exit. The Bucks were back in the 1974 NBA Finals against the Celtics. In game six of the series, Abdul-Jabbar made his famous "sky hook" shot in a classic double-overtime victory. However, the Bucks then lost in game seven, and as of 2019 they have not returned to the NBA Finals. 
  As the 1974–1975 season began, Abdul-Jabbar suffered a hand injury and the Bucks got off to a 3–13 start. After his return, other injuries befell the team, sending them to the bottom of their division with a 38-44 record. When the season ended, Abdul-Jabbar announced that he no longer wished to play for the Bucks and wanted to play in a larger market, either Los Angeles or New York. After the front office was unable to convince him to stay, the Bucks obliged Abdul-Jabbar's request by trading him to the Lakers on June 16, 1975 for Elmore Smith, Junior Bridgeman, Brian Winters, and David Meyers. The trade triggered a series of events that led to a change in the team's ownership. Minority owner and cable television executive Jim Fitzgerald opposed the trade and wanted to sell his stock. Although Fitzgerald was the team's largest single shareholder, he did not own enough stock to control the team.
caption: Oscar Robertson as a member of the Bucks
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