Kareem Abdul-Jabbar joined Bucks on a coin flip, then helped them win their first NBA title
MILWAUKEE – To his pleasant surprise, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar plans to visit a city in hopes to witness an NBA championship run just as he helped deliver nearly 50 years ago.
When the Milwaukee Bucks host the Phoenix Suns for Game 3 (Sunday) and Game 4 (Wednesday) of the NBA Finals at the Fiserv Forum, Abdul-Jabbar expressed optimism there will be “an extra seat or two” for him.
Although he expects a competitive Finals series, Abdul-Jabbar struggled with predicting an outcome because of the depth of both teams and how injuries have factored into this year’s playoffs. After all, Abdul-Jabbar admitted he did not expect the Bucks to advance to their first Finals since 1974 . But then the Bucks beat the Brooklyn Nets in the second round amid injuries to James Harden and Kyrie Irving. So, who’s to say the Bucks can’t survive against Phoenix just like they did against Brooklyn?
“Kevin Durant was able to do whatever he wanted to do for a couple of games. If they couldn’t stop one guy, they couldn’t make it to the Finals,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “I’m happy for them. But it wasn’t like it was wishful thinking that the Bucks weren’t going to do well.”
Abdul-Jabbar still maintains affection for the Bucks franchise even if he requested the organization to trade him either to the New York Knicks or Los Angeles Lakers following Oscar Robertson’s retirement in 1974.
He still marveled at the poetic symbolism with the Bucks and Suns meeting in the NBA Finals after competing for the first pick of the 1969 NBA Draft through a coin flip. Both teams knew the winner could land Abdul-Jabbar, who as Lew Alcindor won three national championships and three national player of the year awards with UCLA.
Still, Abdul-Jabbar had a say in his professional NBA career. Abdul-Jabbar received inquiries about playing for the Harlem Globetrotters.
“While I was at UCLA. I had one guy follow me around with a million-dollar check with my name on it,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “But certain people had advised me that I was worth a lot more than a million dollars.”
Abdul-Jabbar realized the accuracy of that feedback when the NBA and ABA made various financial pitches to land him.
While he became intrigued with the NBA’s growth because of its television contract, Abdul-Jabbar became leery of the ABA’s interest.
“They miscalculated,” Abdul-Jabbar said of the ABA. “They could’ve made a much more attractive offer if they were serious. But I didn’t think they were serious.”
Abdul-Jabbar said he could not recall the specifics of each league’s offer. Nonetheless, the Bucks ultimately landed Abdul-Jabbar after receiving the No. 1 pick because they won the coin flip.
Abdul-Jabbar won the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, which he “saw as my dreams coming true.” But then Abdul-Jabbar had to pinch himself when the Bucks acquired Robertson the following offseason.
“Isn’t he kind of old?” Abdul-Jabbar remembered thinking. “Greatest player that ever put it all together, and I’m questioning his age.”
Robertson put those concerns to rest. The Bucks finished with the league's best record and won the NBA championship in 1971. Though Abdul-Jabbar earned the first of an eventual six regular-season MVP awards that season, he gladly deferred to the established All-Star.
“I wasn’t going to do anything to rock the boat with Oscar,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “He wanted to play a fast-paced game. I could run well enough to keep up with him. There was no problem getting me the ball in the paint where I can operate.”
Abdul-Jabbar won three MVP awards in a four-year span while playing in Milwaukee. But the Bucks lost to the Boston Celtics in the 1974 Finals in seven games while Bucks guard Lucius Allen missed the series with a knee injury.
Robertson then retired after the Bucks failed to agree to a new contract after he became a free agent.
“I understood that Oscar had something to prove,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “He was able to take advantage of free agency. Players today don’t understand what they owe Oscar. They made it possible for these guys to be making this kind of money.”
Robertson’s retirement prompted Abdul-Jabbar to change his interest with staying with the Bucks. A year before his contract would expire, Abdul-Jabbar asked the Bucks to trade him either to the Knicks, Lakers or Washington Bullets.
“I needed to go where I can do the best I could in this business,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “I didn’t want to leave with a bitter feeling or anything. But Milwaukee didn’t appeal to me in the long term. It was time for me to go.”
The Bucks stayed quiet about this development partly because it did not take place in the social media era. But Abdul-Jabbar also praised the former Bucks owner Wes Pavalon and the rest of the Bucks’ front office for understanding his perspective.
“I figured if I kept my mouth shut, it would be fine,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “They gave me their word and they did the best deal they could for them and me.”
The following offseason, the Bucks dealt Abdul-Jabbar to the Lakers in a six-player trade that also included sending reserve center Walt Wesley for Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Dave Meyers, Junior Bridgemen and cash. Abdul-Jabbar would ultimately win five more NBA titles and three more regular-season MVP awards with the Lakers. Meanwhile, the Bucks did not make the NBA Finals again until this year, which Abdul-Jabbar considered “ridiculous.”
Still, Abdul-Jabbar said he has never sensed any animosity from Bucks fans both during and after his 20-year NBA career.
“The fans seemed to take it in stride,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “I felt that they were very satisfied with us winning an NBA championship. Just like me, they didn’t see another one on the horizon, given the personnel that we had.”
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