Behind the Bucks Pass
Fansided

Milwaukee Bucks: The franchise’s forgotten Hall of Famers

By Adam McGee

SPRINGFIELD, MA - SEPTEMBER 8: Inductee Gary Payton speaks during the 2013 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony on September 8, 2013 at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
SPRINGFIELD, MA - SEPTEMBER 8: Inductee Gary Payton speaks during the 2013 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony on September 8, 2013 at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – CIRCA 1978: (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – CIRCA 1978: (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Alex English

Alex English stands out as a rare and painful exception on this list. While the rest of these under the radar Bucks Hall of Famers took in a brief spell with the franchise as their careers wound down, English actually got his start in Milwaukee before going on to become one of the league’s best elsewhere.

A second round pick in 1976, English found minutes incredibly difficult to come by in Milwaukee as his place behind Marques Johnson and Junior Bridgeman in the pecking order was firmly established.

Considering the Bucks were essentially rebuilding following the departure of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at that time, that lack of opportunity for English only seems all the more questionable in hindsight. There’s no doubting how good Johnson and Bridgemen were, but it’s also hard to dispute that English could have been the piece to push the Bucks over the edge if they’d retained him beyond the two seasons he spent in Milwaukee.

Moving on from the Bucks, English signed with the Indiana Pacers and saw his career begin to take shape, before it effectively took off in his time with the Denver Nuggets.

English was an All-Star in eight of his 11 seasons with the Nuggets as he built a reputation as one of the league’s most deadly scorers, as best highlighted by his scoring title in 1983.

In 142 games with the Bucks, English averaged 7.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 15.5 minutes per game, but it’s his overall career averages of 21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists that provide the full story on a Hall of Fame career.

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