The wonderland of two shadows under neon lights: Milwaukee reincarnation with the sky hook arc and the letter battle axe

On a summer evening in Milwaukee, the neon sign at the Old Congress Court Shopping Center was still flashing, and the wide top and narrow bottom arc was still very similar to the sky hook arc that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar cast at the Milwaukee Stadium in the eyes of local fans. Half a century ago, the departure of the legendary center put the Bucks in a 46-year finals drought; now, Giannis Antetokounmpo's stay and departure once again touches the nerves of the city - when the names of Greek monsters frequently appear in trading rumors, Bucks fans suddenly discovered that the cycle of history is repeating with amazing similarity.

In 1969, Suns general manager Jerry Colangelo's expression of losing the draft lottery has long become a classic footnote in NBA history. Milwaukee accidentally took off Jabbar, and then took three years to transform from an expansion team into a championship - the glory of sweeping the Bullets in 1971 made Tian Gou's figure engraved into the city's genes. But in the summer of 1975, when Jabbar asked for a deal on the grounds of "lifestyle incompatibility", Bucks fans experienced the pain of the superstar's departure for the first time. The Lakers used Brian Winters and Junior Bridgeman as bargaining chips to trade the future historical scoring champion, and the Bucks didn't win the championship trophy at Giannis until 2021.

Now Giannis is writing a legend in another way: 54 times 40+ points, 9 times 50+ points (including team history record 64 points), two MVP trophys, one DPOY and the performance of 50-point titles in the 2021 Finals, making him the "only name" in the hearts of Bucks fans. The Greek boy who joined the 15th pick in 2013 with the 15th pick once ran to the stadium to warm up because he had no money to take a taxi, but now he can complete the tomahawk buckle in one step within the free throw line - this transformation from grassroots to kings made Milwaukee regard him as a concrete symbol of the city's spirit.

Since winning the championship in 2021, the Bucks have been eliminated for three consecutive years, and the injury wave (repeated injuries of Middleton and Lillard) and the aging of the lineup have become insurmountable obstacles. When Giannis publicly expressed his desire for a championship, the management's operations fell into a paradox: in 2023, Ju Holiday was exchanged for Damian Lillard, forming a 75-piece combination of "Letters + Lillard", but overdrawing future draft picks; now Lillard has a torn Achilles tendon and misses next season, the team's salary space is locked, and only four people have a 2025-26 season contract. This situation has made speculations about "Where Antetokounmpo go?" are rampant. Just as Jabbar was attracted by the Lakers' big market back then, now the quotes of teams such as Dallas and Houston are also challenging Milwaukee's patience.

But Bucks fans are well aware of the price of the deal: after sending off Jabbar in 1975, although the team had retired jerseys such as Bridgeman, they always lacked superstars who could compete with Bird and Malone. The data comparison is cruel: in the 36 years after the trade, the Bucks players scored only 36 times with 40+ points, while Giannis contributed 54 times by himself; the 50+ points increased from 3 times to 9 times. Just as Popovich raises a glass for Tim Duncan every time he eats, Milwaukee understands that the value of a superstar can never be measured by a draft pick - when Giannis averages 30 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 60% shooting percentage for two consecutive seasons, he has become the only presence in the NBA.

"Don't let him go. Don't trade him to the team with the highest bid." This is the collective shout of the Bucks fans to the management. They have seen how the Bucks had a long winter to "reshape the future of the NBA" deal in 1975, and how the Spurs spent 20 years building a team around Duncan to win five championships. Although the NBA today emphasizes balance, the scarcity of superstars has never changed - when the East is loose due to Tatum's injury, and when the Bucks still have a two-year contract with Giannis (including the 2027-28 player option), retaining the core is still the best solution. Under the neon sign, Milwaukee's basketball memory spans half a century: Jabbar's sky hook arc overlaps with Giannis's tomahawk's buckle in space and time. For this city, superstars are not only the ruler on the court, but also the emotional bond connecting fans and teams. Just as the boy who ran to the stadium back then has become a city hero, if the Bucks want to avoid repeating the same mistakes, they may need to remember: in the love story between small markets and superstars, trust and perseverance are the best defense against the temptation of capital, and no neon light can compare to the light flying over the stadium by the champion flag.