Herbert Kohl, the former United States Senator for Wisconsin, died at the age of 88. The Milwaukee native is perhaps best known as the previous longtime owner of the Bucks, the NBA team he ran for nearly three decades.
In 1985, Kohl bought the Bucks from Jim Fitzgerald for $18 million in order to keep the franchise from leaving town. Although the team was a force in the Eastern Conference through the 1980s, they were largely unable to get over the hump because of the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. With financial concerns swirling around the team because of a failed regional cable sports channel, the future of the Bucks in Wisconsin was in doubt until Kohl stepped in.
The new owner received the Bradley Center as a donation to replace Milwaukee Arena. The Bradley Center was demolished in 2019 after the Bucks’ current home of Fiserv Forum opened. Although the Bradley Center eventually added naming rights, it was behind the times in terms of arena innovations around the NBA as the years went by. Kohl had pushed for a new venue through the final seasons of his majority ownership, but he was met with resistance due to the desire to use public funding.
In 2014, Kohl sold a majority stake in the Bucks to Wes Edens and Marc Lasry for $550 million. The new owners were able to move forward with plans for Fiserv Forum. Kohl still held a minority share when the Bucks won the NBA championship in 2021.
