End of deer list: The 10 moments and milestones that defined the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2020

The Milwaukee Bucks make history with their Game 5 walkout

As the Bucks looked to recapture their form in the run up to and in the playoffs and navigate life down in the bubble, their collective spirit would be tested from well outside of the bubble.

After a summer of great civil unrest and a number of incidents related to police brutality, Bucks players took it to own their hands to protest the racism and police brutality has long festered around the country and the city of Milwaukee before departing for the bubble.

Yet the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha in late August had shaken all players striving for social change upon going down to Orlando. And it all led to the Bucks taking action and walking out of Game 5 of their first round series with the Orlando Magic.

The organic nature of the Bucks’ walkout caused quite a stir and for a brief moment, had put the rest of the bubble in jeopardy. That all came secondary to what the Bucks were looking to achieve in their locker room as veteran sharpshooter Kyle Korver remarked on after the fact during an appearance at Creighton University:

"“We ended up talking to Jacob Blake’s family and his parents were so incredibly kind and gracious. We had out this phone that we all huddled around and they just poured love on us. We’re in this moment where we’re hearing other teams are not playing. I think some people are probably mad at us. And in that moment, we’re sitting there and listening to his family, his parents, we stood around the phone and cried. And we said, ‘We don’t know exactly what the future holds. We aren’t sure exactly what are plans are going to be, but we’re doing the right thing. This is the right thing.’ It was an incredible moment and then to watch the rest of the teams join us across the country, it was really powerful.”"

All throughout the 2019-20 season and as we all got to know last year’s team throughout triumph and defeat, the veteran-laden Bucks team made it clear that they were people first and basketball players second. The social consciousness that all Bucks players displayed last year certainly created a sense of unity that was palpable to see both on and off the court.

The fact that the Bucks’ decision to walk out of Game 5 spurred on other sports going silent, even for 24 hours, spoke volumes to the impact they had while tucked away in the bubble and trying to inspire change. Being on the right side of history and declaring enough was enough took precedent over playing a game of basketball.

And in that moment, the true character of last season’s Bucks team was shown all throughout the world.