Three former Bucks are Hall finalists

Johnson, Moncrief and Sikma make the cut

CHARLOTTE - The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced its finalists for enshrinement on Friday during all-star weekend in Charlotte and three former Bucks players – Marques Johnson, Sidney Moncrief and Jack Sikma – were among them.

“To be named a Finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame is a tremendous honor and we are proud to recognize the outstanding men and women who have impacted the game,” said Jerry Colangelo, Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “We congratulate our finalists and looking forward to revealing the Class of 2019 at the NCAA Final Four in Minneapolis this spring.”

Johnson, a current Bucks broadcaster for FOX Sports Wisconsin whose No. 8 jersey will be retired by the team on March 24, was among the first-time finalists. He was a five-time all-star and three-time all-NBA selection while averaging 20.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game during his 11 NBA seasons, with the first seven coming in Milwaukee.

In addition to his NBA exploits, Johnson was an NCAA champion at UCLA in 1975 and earned consensus player of the year honors in 1977. Johnson is already a member of the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2013.

Moncrief, too, remains one of the most decorated Bucks players of alltime, spending 10 of his 11 seasons in Milwaukee from 1979-'89 after a standout collegiate career at Arkansas. He ranks third on the franchise's all-time list in points (11,594), second in games played (695), first in free throws made (3,505), second in assists (2,689) and third in steals (874).

During his time in Milwaukee, Moncrief was twice the league's defensive player of the year in 1983 and 1984, was named to the all-star game five times (1982-'86), was on the NBA's all-defensive team four straight seasons from 1983-'86 and was selected to the firstteam all-NBA in 1983.

Sikma, a first-time finalist, spent the fewest years of the three players with the Bucks, coming to Milwaukee for the final five years of his career from 1986-'91.

His seven all-star appearances all came with the Seattle SuperSonics prior to joining the Bucks. He averaged 13.4 points and 7.9 rebounds while in Milwaukee while also making 88.4 percent of his free throws – a number that remains a team record among players who have attempted 500 or more free throws.