From the Archives: October 16, Three Eras, One Franchise

By the Bucks Nightly Desk · Friday, October 16

The Bucks have played on October 16 three times before tonight's preseason finale at Indiana, spanning their first game, their first championship season and a lean stretch between eras. A roster remade this year around Herro, Turner and Jaquez Jr. now faces the franchise that ended Milwaukee's last two playoff runs.

Bucks Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

October 16, 1968

The Bucks played their first-ever regular season game on October 16, 1968, a 84-89 loss to Chicago before 8,467 fans at Milwaukee Arena. The expansion franchise had been awarded that year to a group led by Wesley Pavalon and Marvin Fishman, with fans choosing Bucks over the more popular Robins in a naming contest. That date lines up exactly with tonight's preseason finale at Indiana.

October 16, 1971

Three years later, on the same calendar date, Milwaukee beat Seattle 98-91 on the road. That 1971-72 season followed the Bucks' first title, won after a 66-16 regular season behind Lew Alcindor, soon renamed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Oscar Robertson, with a sweep of Baltimore in the Finals. It remains one of two championships in franchise history, the other coming in 2021.

October 16, 1980

A decade later, October 16, 1980, brought a 103-110 loss to Boston. The Bucks were between eras then, the Alcindor-Robertson core long gone and the Don Nelson teams with Sidney Moncrief and Marques Johnson still ahead. Milwaukee has since added 19 division titles and the 2024 NBA Cup, but it did not reach the Finals again until 2021.

This summer

The roster chasing a new identity looks nothing like any of those teams. On June 23 this year, Milwaukee sent Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to Miami for Tyler Herro, Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and Kel'el Ware, then drafted Brayden Burries and Nate Ament. Myles Turner signed as a free agent from Indiana, the same franchise Milwaukee faces tonight.

Tonight at Indiana

Indiana eliminated Milwaukee in the first round of both the 2024 and 2025 playoffs, which gives this preseason finale more edge than the schedule alone suggests. Turner, now entering his 11th season, left that same Pacers roster to sign with the Bucks. Taylor Jenkins, hired April 30, coaches this remade group against the franchise most responsible for ending Milwaukee's recent postseasons.

Next The next date that matters is October 21, the regular season opener at Washington; Milwaukee's home opener follows October 23 against Chicago, moved to 3 p.m. for Brewers World Series Game 1.

Has Indiana ended the Bucks' season before?

Yes — Indiana eliminated Milwaukee in the first round of both the 2024 and 2025 playoffs.

When did the Bucks play their very first game?

October 16, 1968, a 84-89 loss to Chicago in front of 8,467 fans at Milwaukee Arena — the same calendar date as tonight's finale at Indiana.

By the Bucks Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.