Milwaukee Bucks: Every Olympian In Franchise History
By Adam McGee
Richard Jefferson – 2004 Olympics
Now a chatty, championship caliber veteran, it’s easy to forget how good a young Richard Jefferson was. Selected with the 13th overall pick in 2001, Jefferson hit the ground running as a scorer in the NBA, and as such, he found himself at the Athens Olympics only a few short years later.
As part of a group of the league’s best young prospects at the time, Jefferson and the US team underwhelmed in Greece, returning home with a bronze medal. The talent on the team couldn’t be doubted, but the inexperience of the players ultimately proved costly against a wily, united Argentinian team.
In eight games at the 2004 Olympics, Jefferson averaged 6.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. His highlight of the Games arrived in a group game that the US actually lost to Lithuania, in spite of 20 points from Jefferson.
In the years after the Olympics, Jefferson returned home and was eventually traded from the Nets to the Bucks. His career to date has also taken in stops in San Antonio, Golden State, Utah, Dallas and Cleveland.
Next: Andrew Bogut