Second-greatest player in the history of each NBA franchise
Milwaukee Bucks: Oscar Robertson
Greatest Player: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
By the time Oscar Robertson became a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, he was already a perennial All-Star and one of the game’s premier players after a decade with the Cincinnati Royals.
His greatness was why Milwaukee sought to acquire him before the 1970-71 season, already with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in town but in need of something more to help get the team over the hump.
The Big O proved to be the right man for the job, even if it meant sacrificing some of his stats along the way.
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Final:#Bucks 120, Lakers 104
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (39), Lucius Allen (18), John Block (17) and Oscar Robertson (17) all scored 15+ points against LA. The 1971-72 Bucks were 30-3 when they had at least four different players score 15 or more points in the same game. pic.twitter.com/ckYNCSDWAV
He averaged 19.4 points — down from 25.3 the previous year with a dip in shots as well — along with 8.2 assists and 5.7 rebounds a game, still good enough to qualify for an All-Star nod.
The Bucks lost just two games the entire postseason — albeit with one fewer series — en route to the first championship in franchise history. Kareem was named Finals MVP, but Robertson’s 23.5 points, 9.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game mightily contributed to the sweep of the Baltimore Bullets.
After another three years in Milwaukee, which included one more All-Star trip and a seven-game loss in the 1974 Finals, Robertson called a wrap on a Hall of Fame career.