Photo Credit: Allen Halas
If you haven’t heard by now, the Milwaukee Bucks are your 2020-21 NBA champions, and Milwaukee came out in droves to celebrate them on Thursday afternoon. The parade route, moving from the Veterans Park through Downtown Milwaukee, was lined with thousands of fans before the team arrived at Deer District, which once again hosted a massive crowd. It was a celebration decades in the making, and it would probably be safe to say that the party is only beginning.
Joining the Bucks were governor Tony Evers, Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett, and county executive David Crowley, each of which addressed the crowd at the beginning of the presentation. Bally Sports Wisconsin host Zora Stephenson led the ceremony, paying tribute to longtime broadcaster Jim Paschke, and interviewing groups of Bucks players. Stephenson, along with Bucks players Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, leave Friday for the Tokyo Olympics, where the players will be part of the United States basketball team. Stephenson will serve as an analyst. The reactions were loud for the players, but none louder than for the big three of Middleton, Holiday, and NBA Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who hyped up the crowd even further with a brief address.
“Milwaukee, we did it!” exclaimed Giannis, flanked by Governor Evers and Mayor Barrett. “We really did it. This is our city. It’s unbelievable” he added, before “MVP” chants erupted through Deer District.
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Photo Credit: Allen Halas
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Photo Credit: Allen Halas
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Photo Credit: Allen Halas
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Photo Credit: Allen Halas
The ceremony was capped off by Bucks national anthem singer Ben Tajnai, who has been a bit of a good luck charm for the team, singing “We Are The Champions” with the assistance of thousands of proud backup singers. Bucks fans spilled out into the streets, populating much of the Downtown entertainment district.
Milwaukee has a championship after 50 years, and Thursday’s ceremony is hopefully only the first of many celebratory parades to come. It was a moment of immense local pride, and a chance for fans to chant “Bucks in six” just one more time together until the start of next season.
