Huge crowd descends on Milwaukee’s Deer District with Bucks one victory away from first NBA title in 50 years

MILWAUKEE — Standing outside Fiserv Forum in a massive crowd that grew larger by the second, Lue Lueck wore a green jacket in the style of the Milwaukee Bucks’ 1971 championship team and dreamed this would be the night he’d see another.

“I came down here because I think we’re going to win, and I want to say I was here,” said Lueck, 38, from Madison.

The Deer District in downtown Milwaukee has become the center of the city’s celebrations as the Bucks neared their first NBA title since 1971. It encompasses Fiserv Forum, several cavernous bars and restaurants, and of course, the plaza where thousands of ticketless fans have gathered to root for Giannis Antetokounmpo and his teammates throughout the playoffs.

City leaders predicted the throng might hit 65,000 Tuesday night, a figure that would dwarf the 10,000 or so who crammed into “Jurassic Park” outside Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena when the Raptors went for the title in 2019.

Fans make their way into the Deer District before Game 6 of the NBA Finals game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns on July 20, 2021, in Milwaukee. (Jeffrey Phelps / AP)

The enthusiasm has surprised even the Bucks’ owners, who opened the $524 million arena in 2018 and saw the plaza become a popular gathering spot the following summer, when the Bucks made it to the Eastern Conference finals.

“We hoped people would come, but I don’t think we ever envisioned it like this,” Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry told the Milwaukee Business Journal earlier this month. “It is a unique experience and one that is so great for the city.”

The space has also hosted yoga sessions, family movie showings, art fairs, festivals and public viewings of major sports events like the 2019 women’s World Cup final. But high-stakes Bucks games are when it really comes alive, said Carlos Anguiano, 30, of Milwaukee.

“Just being here, you can feel the energy right away,” he said as bass-heavy music burst in the air before tipoff. “It’s a lot different from staying at home and watching TV.”

On Tuesday night, the arena was a glass and steel island amid an ocean of humanity — diverse, young and overwhelmingly clad in Bucks green. It was so dense that even the king-size screens were hard to see through the crowd; you had to listen for the cheers or groans to know what was happening on the court.

There’s no similar space in Chicago, with the possible exception of Wrigleyville (though the entire city seemed to be a watch party during the Cubs’ 2016 World Series run). The United Center and Guaranteed Rate Field are surrounded by parking lots, and while the Museum Campus outside Soldier Field offers plenty of potential gathering spots, there are precious few amenities.

Basketball fans gather outside Fiserv Forum as the Milwaukee Bucks prepare to face the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on July 20, 2021, in Milwaukee. (Scott Olson / Getty Images)

Finn McCarthy, 22, of Elmhurst, said Chicago would be well-served with a Deer District equivalent. The recent University of Wisconsin at Madison graduate planned to spend his evening at the Mecca Sports Bar and Grill, a full court heave away from the arena, and said he wished Chicago teams offered public places that generate the same energy.

“Being with that many people, all rooting for the same thing and having a really fun time while they’re doing it, it’s a big party,” said McCarthy, who has adopted the Bucks as his second favorite team after the Chicago Bulls.

Siblings Gregg and Kristen Sparks, who grew up in Wisconsin but now live in Chicago, said people were starting to gather in the plaza six hours before the 8 p.m. tipoff. They said the spot has given an extra charge to game-day excitement.

Basketball fans gather outside Fiserv Forum as the Milwaukee Bucks prepare to face the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on July 20, 2021 in Milwaukee. (Scott Olson / Getty Images)

“I’ve noticed a lot more people walking around in Bucks gear,” Gregg Sparks said by phone. “There are a lot more people coming down even if they don’t have tickets to grab a beer. It’s made it definitely more of a destination. But the Bucks have also been a lot better (since the arena and plaza opened), so it’s a chicken and egg sort of thing.”