The Milwaukee Bucks first entered the NBA in the 1968-69 season. Thanks to a coin toss that landed them the game's most graceful center, the Bucks won a league championship faster than any team in the history of major professional sports. With Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) at center and Oscar Robertson at guard, the Bucks took the NBA crown in only their third season. Their early success established them as a strong team throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s. Consistently a playoff qualifier during those years, the Bucks exhibited a tough, hard-nosed style. Milwaukee had some disappointing years in the '90s, but with bright, young stars Glenn Robinson and Ray Allen now on board, the team climbed back into the playoffs in 1999.

The city of Milwaukee's first NBA team, the Hawks, fled to St. Louis for the 1955-56 season after four years of meager support. The second franchise was more fortunate. Entering the league along with the Phoenix Suns after paying an entry fee of $2 million, the club was tagged the Bucks because the name suggested "spirited, good jumpers, fast and agile," according to the name-the-team contest winner. Buy Milwaukee Bucks Tickets.