You Tube Gold: Kareem And The 1971 Milwaukee Bucks

Long ago and far away, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a Milwaukee Buck.

After his sensation college career ended in 1969 with three national championships, Abdul-Jabbar was taken #1 in the NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, a team that had only started in 1968.

Two years later, when Milwaukee traded for the Cincinnati Royals legendary Oscar Robertson, the Bucks won the NBA championship.

Here’s a video commemorating Milwaukee’s only NBA title to date.

Just a few years later, Abdul-Jabbar forced a trade that sent him back to Los Angeles, where he played collegiately for UCLA’s John Wooden.

In LA, he won five more titles after Magic Johnson joined him in 1979.

The Lakers years were far more glamorous of course but the Milwaukee title was special and the Bucks have never done it since.