Milwaukee Bucks: Meet the 1990s All-Decade Team

Milwaukee Bucks: Meet the 1990s All-Decade Team – Vin Baker

Tucked away while playing for the University of Hartford in Connecticut, Vin Baker shined as a man among boys as he grew into a double-double machine (28.3 points per game, 10.7 rebounds per game) as a senior in the early 1990s.

Sports Illustrated labeled Baker as ‘America’s Best Kept Secret’ going into his senior season, all the while Hartford struggled to enter the national spotlight or even sniff the NCAA Tournament. But he certainly wasn’t a secret to the NBA, nor to the Bucks, who viewed the 6’11” Baker as a future franchise cornerstone when they selected him with the eighth overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft.

In many ways, Baker’s time in Milwaukee mirrored that of his time in college. A physically gifted scorer who was equally adept handling the ball and shooting from the outside as he was backing down his matchup while on the block, Baker was a beacon of hope for Bucks teams that were stuck in a tough rebuilding period and the same went for Robinson when he arrived into the fold a year later.

After landing on the All-Rookie First Team for the 1993-94 season, Baker made the first of three straight All-Star appearances as a sophomore. More so, he eventually earned an All-NBA Third Team nod for the 1996-97 campaign where he averaged a double-double (21.1 points, 10.3 rebounds), 1.4 blocks and a steal while tallying a 55.3 true shooting percentage over 78 appearances.

But Milwaukee’s struggles and the endless loop of losing took a significant toll on Baker as his substance abuse became a growing issue during his time in Milwaukee, and especially in his subsequent stops after the Bucks sent him to the Seattle SuperSonics in a four-team deal in September of 1997.

Thankfully, Baker has been sober for nearly a decade and all roads led him back to Milwaukee a few years ago, first as an analyst for Fox Sports Wisconsin and now as an assistant coach, first under Joe Prunty and now under Mike Budenholzer and his staff.

In his 324 appearances for the Bucks, Baker averaged 18.3 points on a .494/.252/.634 slash line, 9.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 blocks over 38.3 minutes per game.