The Giannis Antetokounmpo era in Milwaukee is over. The Bucks finally pulled the trigger and sent their franchise player to the Miami Heat for a massive haul: Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez, Kasparas Jakucionis, Kel’el Ware, three first-round picks, a second-round pick, and a pick swap. It’s one of those deals that will be replayed in NBA history discussions for years. And it naturally forces a question that Bucks fans are already arguing about at bars and on social media: where does Giannis rank against the other all-time great who wore a Milwaukee uniform?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor, showed up in Milwaukee as the most hyped prospect in the history of the sport. He won 71 straight high school games. He won three straight national titles at UCLA. He won three Final Four Most Outstanding Player awards and three National Player of the Year trophies. And he did all of that despite not being allowed to play varsity as a freshman. The Bucks, in only their second year of existence, had to win a coin flip against the Phoenix Suns just to get the right to draft him.
Abdul-Jabbar only spent six seasons in Milwaukee, but he made them count. He won three of his six MVPs there. He won a title in 1971 alongside Oscar Robertson, officially changing his name the next day. His sky hook was basically unguardable. He averaged 24.6 points and 11.2 rebounds over his entire 20-year career, but his most dominant scoring came with the Bucks, including four seasons above 30 points per game. Then he requested a trade because Milwaukee didn’t fit his cultural needs, and the Bucks shipped him to the Lakers for a package that included Dave Meyers, Junior Bridgeman, Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, and cash. Yes, that’s widely considered one of the biggest fleece jobs in NBA history.
Giannis arrived differently. The Greek Freak was drafted 15th overall in 2013, a draft remembered as one of the weakest of all time outside of him. He was raw. Skinny. Not sure what he was yet. But he developed into maybe the most unique physical force the league has ever seen. A 7-footer who moves like a guard and can bulldoze through anyone. He spent 13 seasons in Milwaukee, nearly twice as long as Abdul-Jabbar. He made 10 All-Star games, won two MVPs and a Defensive Player of the Year award, and brought a championship to Milwaukee in 2021 with a 50-point closeout game in the Finals.
The Bucks got a much better return for Giannis than they did for Kareem. That much is clear. But that doesn’t make it easier for fans who watched him say he wanted to stay in Milwaukee for his whole career. The front office just couldn’t build a strong enough team around him after the title, so here we are.
So who is the greatest Buck of all time? It’s Giannis. He stayed longer, won a title as the clear alpha, and his overall impact on the franchise is bigger. Abdul-Jabbar is probably a top-five player in NBA history, and some people still put him in the GOAT conversation with Jordan and LeBron. Giannis, at 31, is somewhere in the 15th to 30th range all-time with plenty of runway left. But for Milwaukee specifically, the Greek Freak is number one. Kareem is a close second, and that’s not a bad spot to hold.
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