Building the Milwaukee Bucks

In three short years, the Milwaukee Bucks went from merely an idea to NBA champions. What started as a quest by Marvin Fishman and eventually Wesley Pavalon to get Milwaukee back in the big leagues became something bigger than they could have imagined. They attracted a hard-working coach in Larry Costello, a pioneer in Wayne Embry and some of the biggest talents in the game of basketball with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson. The pieces fell into place for a franchise that asserted themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the NBA. This work covers the unique formation of the NBA franchise that helped restore the image of the city of Milwaukee amid civil unrest and the departure of Major League Baseball as well as why Abdul-Jabbar never found comfort being the face of the Bucks while living in Milwaukee.

Jordan Treske has written and podcasted about the Milwaukee Bucks for a decade. He’s a co-host of the Win in 6 podcast alongside Adam McGee. You can find his work as part of the Gyro Step Podcast Network where they cover the Bucks, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Green Bay Packers as part of the Blue Wire Network. Jordan lives in Milwaukee.

Jordan Treske
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages:
Bibliographic Info: ca. 20 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2025
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9775-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5574-1
Imprint: McFarland

• “The rise of the Milwaukee Bucks from expansion also-ran to one of basketball’s most dominant teams is truly one of the most compelling stories in Wisconsin sports history. In Building the Milwaukee Bucks, Jordan Treske tells the tale with all of its accompanying cultural and political context. Fast-paced and well-researched, Building the Milwaukee Bucks is essential reading for hoop-heads and Milwaukee-lovers alike.”—Matthew Prigge, author, Opening Day in Milwaukee: The Brewers’ Season Starters, 1970-2022

• “I smiled ear to ear reading this deeply reported, magnificent book on the origins of a beloved franchise who has never quite received its due. Treske’s love letter to the organization that has captured the hearts of so many will be one to treasure forever.”—Mirin Fader, author, Giannis and Dream: The Life and Legacy of Hakeem Olajuwon