One of my first ever visits to Milwaukee, Wisconsin was for a scholarship exam at Marquette University in early 2010. I flew up from Akron, Ohio with my dad on Friday evening for the test to be taken on Saturday morning. But, I wasn’t excited about that.
I was excited about the two tickets that my dad bought to see the Bucks play at the Bradley Center on Saturday night.
Keep in mind, this was not a sexy, nor particularly memorable era of Bucks basketball. High schoolers weren’t dripping head-to-toe in red and green team swag, because let’s face it, it was a horrific color scheme. No one in the arena was star struck by the multiple NBA All-Stars on the roster, because there were none. It was a simpler time.
Still, the reason I was excited was because I got to see Andrew Bogut play.
I was, and still am, one of those nerds that appreciates the opportunity to see certain players perform live. I’ll go out of my way to see an opposing team’s Cy Young winner pitch at Miller Park or in this case, a former #1 overall pick play on a snowy night in Milwaukee.
There’s something special about that.
I found myself thinking about that experience when Bogut announced his retirement from professional basketball on Monday.
Andrew Bogut’s legacy will always be “What might have been?” His career was derailed by a litany of injuries. He won’t go to the Hall of Fame. His name will never be mentioned in an argument at the bar about the all-time greats in NBA history…maybe even Bucks history.
To be honest, I don’t remember any intricate details about the game I attended. I don’t remember how many points Bogut scored. I don’t even remember who the Bucks played. But, I remember that I got to see a former #1 overall pick play live.
And I think that’s the reverence with which his career should be treated.
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