The time the Soviet Union faced off against the Bucks in Milwaukee

A bizarre string of matchups occurred in the 1987 McDonald’s Open, an exhibition tournament that saw the Milwaukee Bucks face up against the former Soviet Union.

© Michael Sears/Milwaukee Journal

From 1987-1999, nine iterations of the McDonald’s Open were played. In the inaugural one in 1987, only three teams were invited and played in a round-robin style, where each team played each other once. The three teams invited were Tracer Milano, the European Champions, the Soviet Union, EuroBasket runners-up, and the Milwaukee Bucks, who finished 4th in the Eastern Conference in the NBA.

Who was on the Rosters?

The Milwaukee Bucks were entering a period of slight regression in the 1986-87 NBA season, not finishing top of their division for the first time since the 1978-79 season. This wasn’t much of a surprise seeing the Pistons and Bulls of the late 80s and early 90s emerge. Nevertheless, the 1987 McDonald’s Open in October was a good way to get some momentum for the new season.

The Bucks were missing key players like Hall-of-Famer Sidney Moncrief, Craig Hodges, and Ricky Pierce but had enough talent to contend. The team was led by Terry Cummings, a two-time All-Star, Paul Pressey, who was coming off back-to-back First Team All-Defensive selections, and Jack Sikma, who had seven straight All-Star selections from 1979-1985 and was eventually inducted into the Hall-of-Fame.

The Soviet Union had talent as well, including Sarunas Marciulionis, who would be the first Soviet player to be drafted into the NBA. Not playing was future Trail Blazer Arvydas Sabonis, who was injured at the time.

Tracer Milano had NBA Hall-of-Famer Bob McAdoo leading the team. As European Champions, they certainly weren’t underdogs, and all three games were expected to be close battles.

Conflict and Resolutions

Given the political context of the time, namely the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, such a matchup was a chance for both countries to have bragging rights over the other, which characterized their relationship for much of the latter 20th century.

Milwaukee and the Soviet Union both beat Tracer Milano 123-111 and 135-108, respectively. That meant entering the third and final game. It was all to play for. Whoever won the final game would be crowned champion of the McDonald’s Open and would be able to hold it over the other team.

Telling my kids it was the Bucks who actually won the Cold War. https://t.co/H0DUVyVHSE

— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) October 25, 2023

In a 127-100 win, the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Soviet Union in a game that felt like an Olympic Final. The Soviet Union would fall just a few years later, while the Bucks would keep searching for an identity in the challenging NBA landscape of the 90s.

Nevertheless, the Bucks can always say they are the only NBA team in history to beat the Soviet Union. 

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