The Milwaukee Bucks clinched their first NBA championship in 50 years on Tuesday night, July 20, 2021, defeating the visiting Phoenix Suns 105-98 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
With the victory, the Bucks won the best-of-seven series 4-2, becoming only the fifth team in NBA history to win the championship after losing the first two games.
The championship was secured by a transcendent performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo, nicknamed the ‘Greek Freak,’ just three weeks after he suffered a knee injury that had cast doubt on his participation in the Finals.
Antetokounmpo delivered what was arguably the best performance of his career in the decisive game, scoring 50 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and adding 5 blocks. This dominant effort made him the obvious choice for the Bill Russell Finals MVP award, which he now adds to his two regular-season MVP trophies.
Echoing the franchise’s history, where Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Bucks to their first title in 1971, Antetokounmpo ensured a big man carried the team to its next title. Throughout the six-game series, Antetokounmpo was phenomenal, recording at least 40 points and 10 rebounds in three of the games.
The Milwaukee Bucks won their first NBA championship on April 30, 1971.
Led by the dominant Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson, the Bucks swept the Eastern Conference champion Baltimore Bullets 4-0 in the 1971 NBA Finals.
The victory came just three years after the franchise was founded as an expansion team in 1968, setting a record for the shortest time from entering the league to becoming World Champions.
