Worst moment in each NBA franchise’s history
By Brad Rowland
Milwaukee Bucks – Trading Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
It has been 40 years since the Milwaukee Bucks traded the best player in the NBA, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, at the peak of his powers, and some fans still haven’t come to terms with the decision. To be fair to the franchise, Abdul-Jabbar demanded a trade to either New York or Los Angeles at the time, greatly limiting Milwaukee’s decision-making power on the issue, but it is still less than pleasant to consider that the Bucks moved away from their lynchpin player after just six seasons.
In those six years, Kareem averaged a ludicrous 30.4 points, 15.3 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game while earning the league’s MVP award three times (1970-71, 1971-72 and 1973-74), and he was also the engine for Milwaukee’s lone NBA title in 1971 as the Finals MVP. We could go on for hours about the accomplishments of Abdul-Jabbar, but what is more telling is Milwaukee’s lack of success since his departure.
The Bucks have reached the Eastern Conference Finals on four occasions since 1975, with the most recent coming in 2001, but Milwaukee has not even reached the NBA Finals since Kareem was dealt. That might be an impossibly high standard, especially for a small market team, but at the same time, Milwaukee was a model franchise at the time, and this decision resonates to this day.
Next: Minnesota T-Wolves