Alphabet Soup: The Best of the Bucks

Alright, on to the Milwaukee Bucks version of my Alphabet Soup series.

There are no 'Q', 'U' or 'X' here either, but there were a couple of tough decisions to be made.

You will see All Star's and MVP's, but you will also see some 'one-year wonders'.

So, through 41 years of Milwaukee Bucks basketball, here is the list of the best players A to Z.

A is for Abdul-Jabbar

The first one is a no-brainer.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played from 1969-75 in Milwaukee and is still the all-time leader in points at 14,211.

He was the main man for the '71 NBA Title, and the skyhook was pure poetry.

Abdul-Jabbar shot 54.7 percent from the field, with 7,161 rebounds, 2,008 assists, 495 blocks for the Bucks.

He is the only player for the Bucks who averaged over 30 points in his Milwaukee career (30.4).

Honorable Mention: Ray Allen

B is for Bridgeman

Junior Bridgeman played 711 games in Milwaukee, the most by any Buck.

He played from 1975-84 and again in the 86-87 season (with the Clippers from 84-86).

Bridgeman scored 9,892 points, and had 607 steals during his time in Brew Town.

He is currently the president of Bridgeman Foods LLC, which owns several Wendy's fast food restaurants across the country.

Honorable Mention: Quinn Buckner

C is for Cummings

Terry Cummings played from 1984-89 and again in the 95-96 season for the Bucks.

During those periods he scored 9,290 points, grabbed 3,758 rebounds and had 607 steals.

Cummings averaged 19.4 ppg in Milwaukee.

Honorable Mention: Sam Cassell

D is for Dandridge

Bob Dandridge played 618 games for the Bucks.

Those games spanned the 1969-77 season, and the 81-82 season.

Dandridge scored 11,478 points, had 4,497 rebounds and 1,956 assists, while averaging 18.6 ppg.

Another member of the '71 NBA Championship team.

E is for Embry

Wayne Embry played just one season in Milwaukee, the inaugural 1968-69.

He played 78 games that year and scored 1,023 points for the Bucks.

Embry also totaled 672 rebounds and 149 assists, while shooting 42.7 percent from the field.

He's more known in the organization for being the NBA's first African-American GM, as he was in charge of the Bucks from 71-79, where he traded away the great Abdul-Jabbar.

Honorable Mention: Dale Ellis

F is for Ford

T.J. Ford was a member of the Bucks from 02-06, but missed the entire 03-04 campaign with a neck injury.

He was known for his speed and his passing ability in Milwaukee.

Ford scored over 1,200 points and dished out over 800 assists in just 127 games.

G is for Gadzuric

Dan Gadzuric is one of two current members on this list.

He was drafted in 2002, but as remained on the bench ever since he came to Milwaukee.

In 451 games, Gadzuric has shot 50.8 percent from the floor and has 405 blocks.

However, he is still not worth the six-year/$36 million deal he signed.

H is for Humphries

Jay Humphries played from 1987-92 in Milwaukee.

I personally don't remember him being on the Bucks, but I saw his numbers, and he deserves a spot on this list.

Humphries scored over 4,000 points, and had over 2,000 assists. He also dished out over 600 assists, with over 450 steals.

Honorable Mention: Tyrone Hill

I is for Ilyasova

The only 'I' on the all-time roster, thus the spot.

Ersan Ilyasova played one season in Milwaukee, in 2006-07, and appeared in 66 games.

He started 14 of those games, scored 402 points and grabbed 189 rebounds.

Ilyasova averaged a dismal 6.1 ppg, while shooting 38.3 percent from the field and 78.7 from the free throw line.

J is for Johnson

Marques Johnson played from 1977-84 in Milwaukee, and appeared in 524 games.

He scored 10,980 points, had 3,923 rebounds and 1,934 assists. Johnson also totaled 697 steals and 439 blocks.

He averaged 21 ppg and shot 53 percent from the field. Johnson also is the all-time in offensive rebounds.

All of this from a 6'7" guard.

K is for Kukoc

Toni Kukoc played for the Bucks from 2002-06 and ended his career in Milwaukee.

The "Croation Sensation" and "The Waiter" had a stellar career in Chicago before coming to the Bucks and coming in off the bench.

Kukoc scored over 2,000 points and had 529 assists in Milwaukee.

L is for Lanier

Bob Lanier started nearly 200 games in Milwaukee from 1979-84.

He scored over 3,400 points and over 1,400 rebounds.

Lanier shot 54.1 percent from the field, and had some of the biggest shoes in the league (that was of course before Shaq).

M is for Moncrief

Sid "The Kid" Moncrief played 695 games in Milwaukee tht spanned the 1979-89 seasons.

Moncrief scored 11,594 points and grabbed 3,447 rebounds.

He also had 2,689 assists and 874 steals during his time on the Bucks.

One of the longest tenured Bucks on the list, and one of the greatest to play in Milwaukee.

Honorable Mention: Jon McGlocklin and Moses Malone

N is for Newman

Johnny Newman was in Milwaukee from the 1994-97 seasons.

He started 97 games, but played all 82 in each of his three years as a member of the Bucks.

Newman totaled over 2,700 points in Milwaukee.

O is for Ollie

Kevin Ollie is a journey-man in the NBA (played for 11 teams), and made a stop in Milwaukee during the 2002-03 season.

He appeared in just 53 games, and started four of them.

Ollie scored 303 points and had 181 assists with just 36 turnovers. He also shot 46 percent from the field.

P is for Pressey

Paul Pressey in Milwaukee from 1982-90 and played in over 500 games.

He amassed 3,272 assists, 894 steals, and 372 blocks.

Between Pressey and the two-time 6th Man of the Year Ricky Pierce, I'm still going with Pressey.

Honorable Mention: Ricky Pierce

R is for Robertson

Oscar Robertson's numbers weren't the greatest from 1970-74, but he still gets a spot on the list.

The "Big O" scored over 4,500 points and had 2,156 assists. It was nowhere near the triple double he averaged, but good enough.

Robertson was another key factor during the 1971 NBA Championship.

Honorable Mention: Glenn Robinson and Michael Redd

S is for Sikma

Jack Sikma played in Milwaukee from 1986-91.

He scored over 4,200 points and pulled down 3,087 rebounds.

He played 392 games and shot 88.4 percent from the free throw line.

And those blond curls...sweet!

T is for Thomas

It was either him or "Tractor" Traylor, I went the right way.

Thomas played in Milwaukee from 1998-2004 and scored over 4,200 points for the Bucks.

He was the Sixth Man of the team during its 2001 Playoff run and was on of my favorites during that time.

V is for Villanueva

The other current member on the list, Villanueva came to Milwaukee in 2006 in a trade for T.J. Ford.

Through nearly 200 games (about 100 starts), he already has over 2,500 points scored.

He has also pulled down over 1,200 rebounds, and should continue to be a viable scoring option for the Bucks.

W is for Winters

Brian Winters played 582 games in Milwaukee spanning the 1975-83 seasons.

He scored 9,743 points, had 2,479 assists and 718 steals.

Winters also shot 84.3 percent from the line, and his jersey in the Bradley Center rafters because of his efforts.

Y is for Yi

Yi Jianlian qualifies due to the whole Chinese "last name is the first name" thing.

He played the 2007-08 season in Milwaukee and appeared in 66 games, where he started 49.

He was injured for part of the year and scored just 566 points and grabbed 344 rebounds.

Yi averaged 8.4 ppg, while shooting 42 percent from the field and 84 percent from the line.

Z is for Zopf

Bill Zopf played just one season in Milwaukee, the 1970-71 championship year.

He played in 53 games and scored 118 points.

Zopf also had 46 rebounds and 73 assists in the short season, and shot 36 percent from the field and just 56 percent from the line.

Your all-time Milwaukee Bucks, from A to Z.