June 27, 2013.
I was hosting a special NBA Draft edition of Sports Central from Summerfest. I recall being annoyed when the Bucks lost their chance to draft Michigan guard Trey Burke.
Mobile big man Kelly Olynyk went to the Mavericks two picks ahead of the Bucks pick. I was devastated.
As I was sifting through the rest of the names still on the board, the Bucks selected Giannis Antetokounmpo with the 15th pick. I fumbled through my notes trying to find something…anything…to communicate to the audience what the Bucks had done.
I didn’t even know how to say his name.
There are three ways NBA teams work to fortify the roster in the off-season. The draft, free agency and trades. In 2013, only two of those three applied to the Milwaukee Bucks. Free agency was not a thing. No one was choosing to play in Milwaukee. The thought of a “BIG 3” was a non-starter.
Forget about playing it safe. General Manager John Hammond had no choice but to swing for the fences. He did, and it worked.
Lew Alcindor helped deliver a championship to Milwaukee in 1971. Giannis did the same in 2021. Alcindor wanted out of Milwaukee. After being chosen by the Bucks in 2013, Giannis has chosen Milwaukee again and again. He is the single most important draft pick in Bucks history.
You didn’t know his name then, but you certainly do now.