Giannis and colleagues beats the Nets 144-122 on a day death took the Bucks owner away

Dec 28, 2023 - 11:48

Death took away Milwaukee Bucks owner and former US senator Herb Kohl as Giannis Antetokounmpo beat Brooklyn Nets.

Antetokounmpo had 32 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists, Khris Middleton added 27 points and 10 assists, and the Bucks pulled away for a 144-122 victory Wednesday night over a Brooklyn team that treated it like a preseason game.

The Nets rested three starters and barely played two others on the night after a victory at Detroit that extended the Pistons´ losing streak to 27, an NBA single-season record.

"They competed hard," Antetokounmpo said. "I don´t know most of them but I´ll learn them after today because they made it extremely, extremely tough for us."

The Nets' rotation featuring several rookies and players on two-way contracts put up a good fight for three quarters before the Bucks put them away.

Afterward, coach Jacque Vaughn passionately denied treating the game like one played in mid-October.

"I have too much respect for the dudes that suit up and put their body on the line and the competition level to even mention the word exhibition," he said. "Any guy could have ended their career tonight by one play and so I treat it as such. It is an honor, it is, I don´t know, a sense of gratitude that you do this for a living and you never, ever underestimate that. If you do, you´ll pay for it."

Meanwhile, former US senator and owner of the Milwaukee Bucks Herb Kohl has passed away after a brief illness, the Herb Kohl Foundation announced on Wednesday. He was 88.

Kohl, a Wisconsin Democrat and co-founder of the Kohl’s department store chain, served in the US Senate for 24 years. A lifelong basketball fan, he notably bought his hometown team for $18 million in 1985, ensuring that the Bucks remained in Milwaukee. He also was a philanthropist, donating millions to students, teachers, and schools in Wisconsin.

“Throughout his life, Herb Kohl always put people first — from his employees and their families to his customers and countless charitable organizations and efforts,” JoAnne Anton, director of giving for Herb Kohl Philanthropies, said.

Kohl sold the Milwaukee Bucks in 2014 after nearly three decades and donated $100 million to help the team build a new arena. In a statement, National Basketball Association commissioner Adam Silver said Kohl set the standard for NBA team ownership.

“Senator Kohl was a dear friend and one of our very best public servants,” Silver said. “There was never any doubt about his extraordinary commitment to the franchise and city that he loved, and his vision and unparalleled financial contribution towards a new arena in Milwaukee will forever be remembered.”

In a statement, the Milwaukee Bucks noted that the former senator was “a lifelong and proud Wisconsinite who cared deeply for his state and the city of Milwaukee.”

“Even after selling the team, Senator Kohl loved the Bucks and was