These are the 10 best Milwaukee Bucks players of all time (according to one metric, anyway)
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We could spend all day debating the 10 best players to wear a Milwaukee Bucks uniform (except the identity of the guy at the very top), so let’s save time and let Basketball Reference do it for us.
Using “win shares” as its metric — you can certainly study the math if you want to go deep in the weeds on that — the site views Giannis Antetokounmpo right now as the fourth-best Buck of all time. It’s a stat volume that accumulates over time, and there’s more to come in Antetokounmpo’s career.
As we head into the 2020-21 season, these are the 10 best players in Milwaukee Bucks history.
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1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (114.7 win shares) 
Duh. He’s the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder. He ushered in an entire new era for the franchise (and league) when he was the No. 1 overall choice in the 1969 NBA draft. Today, he’s the all-time leading scorer in NBA history, and though he was in Milwaukee only six seasons, he led the team to its only two NBA Finals appearances, its only title (1971) and won three MVP awards. There’s no debate here. The real debate is whether Giannis will surpass Kareem’s place in Bucks history (or when).
RELATED: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar debuted with the Bucks 50 years ago this month; here’s what people were talking about as the game approached
2. Sidney Moncrief (88.5 win shares)
Moncrief won the league’s first two Defensive Player of the Year awards, presented in 1983 and 1984, and the five-time all-star spent 10 of his 11 NBA seasons in Milwaukee. He’s third in franchise history in scoring, second in assists, third in steals and eighth in rebounds. The five-time All-NBA choice was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019 and remains one of the most beloved Bucks in history.
RELATED: Former Bucks star Sidney Moncrief talks about what it was like getting the call to Basketball Hall of Fame
3. Marques Johnson (71.1 win shares) 
Whom did Michael Jordan look up to when he was growing up? Judging by the picture on his wall, it was three-time All-NBA choice Marques Johnson, a unique talent who was an all-star in four of his seven years with the Bucks. He’s seventh in franchise history in points, fourth in rebounds, 10th in assists, sixth in steals and ninth in blocks, and he teamed with Moncrief to lead the 1983 Bucks past the Celtics in a sweep before falling to Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference Finals, the first of three visits to that stage in four seasons. Johnson also happens to be one heck of an announcer, as Bucks fans have discovered in recent years. And you know what? The man can still throw down a dunk.
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo (64.4 win shares) 
The Greek Freak could surpass everyone on this list eventually. If he signs on to stay in Milwaukee, he’s practically destined to become the franchise’s all-time leader in points, rebounds, assists and blocks, and heck, maybe steals as well. Taken No. 15 in the 2013 draft, the Greek teenager has blossomed into an NBA superstar, a two-time MVP and the leader of a Milwaukee uprising that has made the Bucks one of the league’s best teams. But can they take that final step and win a title?
5. Bob Dandridge (62.6 win shares) 
When you talk about the great draft classes of Wisconsin sports history, it’s hard to top 1969, when Milwaukee followed up its selection of Lew Alcindor with a fourth-round pick out of Norfolk State named Bob Dandridge. It worked out. The four-time all-star made an all-rookie, all-defensive and all-NBA team in his career, and he scored 18.4 points per game for the 1971 champion Bucks (he won another title with the Washington Bullets in 1978 and appeared in four Finals overall). He’s fifth in Bucks history in scoring and third in rebounds, not to mention ninth in assists, and he trails only Junior Bridgeman and Sidney Moncrief in games played as a Buck. Dandridge was with the Bucks from 1969-1977, then returned briefly for his final season in 1981-82 at age 34.
6. Michael Redd (55.1 win shares)
Redd played a small role on the 2001 Bucks team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals, but the majority of his career was spent toiling for mediocre teams, where he nonetheless lit up the scoreboard as a 38% 3-point shooter. His 57-point game in 2006 remains a club record, and he’s fourth in franchise history in scoring. He spent 11 of 12 seasons in Milwaukee, and as a second-round pick out of Ohio State, was one of the franchise’s better success stories, even if he’ll never get all the credit he deserves and his career was shortened by ACL tears.
7. Ray Allen (54.1 win shares) 
Much like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Allen will always be remembered in Milwaukee for his days with the Bucks, but the world at large will picture him in a different jersey. The 10-time all-star and 2018 inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame was a revelation for the Bucks out of the gate, shortly after he was acquired in a draft-day swap that sent Stephon Marbury to Minnesota. The marksman spent his first six-plus seasons in Milwaukee, shooting close to 41% from 3-point range and leading the Bucks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001, a series that included a memorable individual performance in Game 6. But he’s also remembered as part of a dubious 2003 trade, when the Bucks sent Allen, Ronald Murray, Kevin Ollie and a first-round pick in exchange for Desmond Mason and Gary Payton. There had been tension between Allen and head coach George Karl, but the trade was despised in the moment and outright crushed in the aftermath when Payton spent 28 unmemorable games in Milwaukee before leaving for the Lakers. Allen had seven more all-star seasons in his tank and won two NBA titles: in 2008 with Boston and 2013 with Miami. He may have hit the biggest 3-pointer in NBA playoff history.
8. Paul Pressey (45.5 win shares) 
The “original point forward” is still the franchise’s all-time leader in assists and sits second in steals, with eight of his 11 NBA seasons in Milwaukee, and was a central ingredient for revolutionary coach Don Nelson. Pressey was named to the NBA’s first-team All-Defensive Team in 1984-85, a year in which the Bucks won the division, and he also competed in an NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1986, the year the Bucks went to the Eastern Conference Finals.
RELATED: A look at some of the best Bucks value picks (17 or below) in the NBA Draft
9. Jon McGlocklin (43.3 win shares)
Another key component to the 1971 NBA champion, McGlocklin was one of the faces of the Milwaukee Bucks arrival. He was on that first team in 1968-69, selected in the 1968 expansion draft, and became the organization’s first all-star. He spent his final eight seasons in Milwaukee, splashing down his rainbow jump shots, and he’s currently fourth all-time in games played. And, like Marques Johnson, he’s remained a hugely popular player thanks to his longtime work as a television color commentator for Bucks games and active involvement in area charities, namely the MACC Fund.
RELATED: McGlocklin, Paschke have spent decades behind the mic for Bucks
10. Terry Cummings (42.7 win shares)
He spent only six years total in Milwaukee, including five from 1984-1989, but the two-time all-star left enough of an impression. He was Rookie of the Year in San Diego, and he was part of one of the biggest blockbusters in Milwaukee Bucks history, when he was acquired along with Ricky Pierce and Craig Hodges from the Clippers in exchange for Marques Johnson, Junior Bridgeman and Harvey Catchings. He made one trip to the Eastern Conference Finals and sits sixth on the franchise leaderboard in rebounds. He was named All-NBA third team once during his tenure in Milwaukee.
Wait, where’s … 
Oscar Robertson. Obviously, you can’t talk about the Bucks’ 1971 title or 1974 runner-up finish without discussing the Big O, one of the most familiar names in Bucks history. Though his four years in a Bucks uniform aren’t long enough for him to climb the “win shares” leaderboard, it can’t be denied that the all-time great left a monumental impression on the franchise. Acquired in a trade with Cincinnati, Robertson became the missing piece that launched the Bucks from a strong team to a tour de force, and he averaged 18.3 points per game in Milwaukee’s 14 postseason games in 1971. In Robertson’s four years, the Bucks went 248-80.
Junior Bridgeman. If the list had gone to 11, he’d be next at 41.1 win shares, just behind Cummings. The Super Sub was thunder off the bench, scoring in double figures in eight straight seasons. He’s still the franchise’s all-time leader in games played (711), and his No. 2 jersey has hung from the rafters since 1988. He’s eighth in scoring in franchise history.
Ricky Pierce. Like Bridgeman, Pierce made a name for himself coming off the bench, winning Sixth Man of the Year twice in 1987 and 1990. He spent seven-plus seasons in Milwaukee, including a one-year return stint in 1998, and made the all-star team in 1991. He averaged 19.6 points per game over his final five seasons with the Bucks during his first go-round.
Bob Lanier. The NBA great was with Milwaukee from 1979-1984 in his final five seasons, after he’d already established himself as a star player in the league. But he had something left in the tank, making an all-star team in 1982 and playing a key role in the powerful Bucks teams of the early 1980s. He averaged a double-double, and the 1991 Hall of Fame inductee’s jersey, No. 16, hangs from the Fiserv Forum rafters.
Brian Winters. In Milwaukee from 1975-1983, Winters averaged 16.7 points per game even though he didn’t have the luxury of the 3-point line for the first five years of his career, which surely short-changed a player who ultimately shot 36% from beyond the arc. The two-time all-star went to the playoffs six times and is still third in team history in assists, fifth in steals and ninth in points. His No. 32 jersey was retired by the Bucks in 1983.
Glenn Robinson. Big Dog was a key player on the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals run, and his arrival as the No. 1 overall pick in 1994 made him the immediate face of Bucks basketball. He made two all-star teams in his eight seasons with the club and averaged 21.1 points per game, with 6.2 rebounds. He later won an NBA championship in his final season, 2005 with the Spurs.
Andrew Bogut. Speaking of first overall picks, Bogut arrived in 2005 after going No. 1 to Milwaukee out of Utah, and injuries mitigated what could have otherwise been an excellent career. He spent seven seasons with the Bucks, averaging 12.7 points and 9.3 rebounds, along with 1.6 blocks per game. He averaged close to 16 points per game in the 2009-10 “Fear the Deer” season but was injured for the playoffs. He’s fifth on the career leaderboard in rebounds and fourth in blocks.
Khris Middleton. Are we crazy to put him here? He maybe hasn’t had the longevity as others on this list, nor necessarily the statistical accomplishments, but if he serves as Pippen to Antetokounmpo’s Jordan on a title run, he’ll be immortalized in Bucks lore. Over his seven seasons in Milwaukee, he’s averaged 16.9 points per game, 4.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals, all while shooting better than 39% from 3-point range. But his best work has been in the past three seasons, when he’s upped his scoring average to 19.7 per game. Last year, he shot 42% from 3, 50% from the floor and 92% from the free-throw line.
JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: These are the 10 best Milwaukee Bucks players of all time (according to one metric, anyway)