The story of Bob Lanier’s short but sweet stint with the Milwaukee Bucks

Bob Lanier wished that the opportunity to play for the Bucks came earlier.

© Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Short but sweet. That's how Bob Lanier's stint with the Milwaukee Bucks unfolded, as he only got the chance to play with the organization in the latter part of his colorful career.

He may have spent just five of his 15-year stint in the NBA with Milwaukee, but for Lanier, those five seasons were some of the best years of his colorful career.

In one of his interviews, Lanier said it was in Milwaukee that he felt most welcome.

"I wanted the trade. I got to Milwaukee... and the people gave me a standing ovation and really made me feel welcome. It was the start of a positive change," Lanier said.

Pistons legend

The 6-foot-11 center was the first overall pick by the Detroit Pistons in the 1970 NBA Draft. A recurring knee injury prevented his career from taking off right away. But with his skill set, a blossom was inevitable.

Lanier was a force in the paint, and his ability to knock down short jumpers made him difficult to contain. The big man ended up becoming Detroit's most prominent star, as he averaged more than 21 points for eight seasons.

He won the All-Star Game MVP in 1974, which was one of the highlights of his career with Detroit. In his ten seasons with the Pistons, Lanier averaged 22.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.0 blocks, and 1.2 steals in 681 games. He ended up becoming the franchise's all-time leader in scoring average (22.7 ppg).

The big trade

In 1980, Lanier was traded to the Bucks, where he got to play with what he described as his "best teammates."

In his five seasons with the Bucks, the team won the Midwest Division championship each year under Coach Don Nelson, with Lanier playing alongside teammates Marques Johnson, Sidney Moncrief, Quinn Buckner, Junior Bridgeman, and Dave Cowens.

With aging knees, Lanier still played a key role with the Bucks but only averaged 26 minutes per game after playing for 36.2 minutes per outing in Detroit.

"I just wish I had played with that kind of talent around me when I was young. But if I had had Marques [Johnson] and Sidney [Moncrief] and all of them around me? Damn," he said.

Recurring knee injuries forced Lanier to retire from the NBA on September 24, 1984. He played 278 games with the Bucks and averaged 26 minutes, 13.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. He also played in the 1982 All-Star Game with Milwaukee. Lanier's five-season tenure with Milwaukee saw the Bucks advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

On and off the court, Lanier was highly regarded by his peers.

"A true ambassador. This man was absolutely, positively so wonderful that the NBA literally made him an ambassador, and he vastly contributed to the NBA being the ultimate globalized brand that it became," Stephen A. Smith during one of the episodes of ESPN's First Take.

Lanier died on May 10, 2022, after a brief illness. He was 73.

"He was an absolute wonderful man, a wonderful person, one of the nicest guys in the world, high character, just a core decency about him and he could ball," added Smith.