One interesting fact about every player on the 2023-24 Milwaukee Bucks roster
As the 2023-24 season tips off for the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, get to know the 18 players on the roster (15 with standard contracts and three with two-way contracts) with one interesting detail about each of them:
Damian Lillard
Number: 0
Height/weight: 6-2, 195
Age: 33
Years in NBA: 11
College: Weber State
The prize of the NBA offseason, Lillard comes to Milwaukee after 11 years in Portland, where he set numerous franchise records. The seven-time all-star is only the third player in NBA history to have 1,500 points and 400 assists in his first eight seasons, joining LeBron James and Oscar Robertson, the latter of whom was also acquired by the Bucks in an attempt to build a championship-caliber team. And it worked.
Fact to know: The Bucks franchise record for single-game points is Michael Redd with 57. That mark might be in some danger; Lillard has cleared that mark six times in his career, including 60 or more points five times. He topped out with 71 against Houston last season (Feb. 26).
MarJon Beauchamp
Number: 3
Height/weight: 6-7, 199
Age: 23
Years in NBA: 1
College: None (NBA G-League Ignite)
The team's first-round draft pick in 2022 will look to find more minutes after scoring 5.1 points per game last year.
Fact to know: Beauchamp scored 83 points in a pro-am gameover the summer, setting the record at the Crawsover Pro-Am event in his hometown of Seattle. Sure, it's not against NBA-level competition, but it certainly opened some eyes.
Malik Beasley
Number: 5
Height/weight: 6-4, 187
Age: 26
Years in NBA: 7
College: Florida State
The offseason addition has an inside track on a starting spot. He averaged 12.7 points per game last year playing for the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers and shot made close to three 3-pointers per game.
Fact to know: His grandfather, John Beasley, was an actor who had a role in the movie Rudy and also briefly appeared in Disney TV Show "The Mandalorian" in 2019 as well as the TV show "Everwood," among many other films. He died earlier this year.
Chris Livingston
Number: 7
Height/weight: 6-6, 220
Age: 20
Years in NBA: Rookie
College: Kentucky
The intriguing second-round draft pick was given a four-year deal by the Bucks.
Fact to know: He has a twin brother, Cordell, who played basketball at Division II Kentucky State while Chris was playing just down the road in Kentucky, helping make a smoother transition for both after growing up in Ohio. Cordell is six inches shorter than his brother (6-feet, 175 pounds). So it won't be just the Lopezes on this year's Bucks team who know what it's like to have a twin.
More: Bucks rookies Andre Jackson Jr. and Chris Livingston revel in Summer League opportunity
Bobby Portis
Number: 9
Height/weight: 6-10, 250
Age: 28
Years in NBA: 8
College: Arkansas
Portis has become a massively popular player in Milwaukee, often coming off the bench and averaging close to a double-double (14.1 points, 9.6 rebounds last year). This offseason, he played for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup.
Fact to know: Portis has self-identified as an underdog story, but if you don't know the full scope of that, you should definitely read Bleacher Report's story on Portis in 2015 before he was drafted, going deep into his childhood background. Portis already had a relationship as a high schooler with former Arkansas star Corliss Williamson, a two-time SEC Player of the Year in college. Portis eventually became the first Arkansas player since Williamson to earn that honor.
Brook Lopez
Number: 11
Height/weight: 7-1, 282
Age: 35
Years in NBA: 15
College: Stanford
The fun-loving big man has spent five seasons with Milwaukee and has been both a revelation as a 3-point shooter and an interior defender that got him a third-place finish in last year's NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting (and two career selections to the All-Defense team). Last year, his 15.9 points per game were the most as a member of the Bucks, and he did that one year removed from back surgery.
Fact to know: You probably already know two pieces of info that get discussed a lot: Lopez is a Disney fanatic, and he's the all-time leading scorer in Nets history (10,444 points). But did you also know he holds the NBA record for most 3-pointers in a season by a 7-footer when he hit 187 in 2018-19?
Marques Bolden
Number: 12
Height/weight: 6-10, 249
Age: 25
Years in NBA: 2
College: Duke
The two-way player spent the last two seasons with Cleveland, seeing action in a total of seven games.
Fact to know: Bolden was born in Texas but became naturalized as an Indonesian citizen in 2021 and competed for Indonesia in the Southeast Asian Games.
Cameron Payne
Number: 15
Height/weight: 6-3, 183
Age: 29
Years in NBA: 8
College: Murray State
Payne spent the last four years coming off the bench for Phoenix, averaging more than 10 points per game the last two seasons. He was a late free-agent addition in the offseason and has also played with Oklahoma City, Chicago and Cleveland.
Fact to know: With Payne and Jae Crowder, the Bucks now have more members of the 2021 Phoenix Suns — the team Milwaukee defeated for the NBA title — than the Suns themselves, with Devin Booker as the only holdover in Phoenix.
AJ Green
Number: 20
Height/weight: 6-4, 190
Age: 24
Years in NBA: 1
College: Northern Iowa
Green made 42% of his shots from 3-point range last year and wound up averaging 9.9 minutes per game in his 35 appearances, good for 4.4 points per game.
Fact to know: He very nearly played for a Milwaukee native in college. Green, a two time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year at Northern Iowa, was lined up to transfer to Iowa State and play for Milwaukee native T.J. Otzelberger. But Green opted for the NBA Draft instead, where he went undrafted, but he wound up on a two-way contract with the Bucks.
Khris Middleton
Number: 22
Height/weight: 6-7, 222
Age: 32
Years in NBA: 11
College: Texas A&M
For the past decade, Middleton has been Robin to Giannis Antetokoumpo's Batman, a three-time all-star who has had some unforgettable playoff moments, including during the 2021 championship run. He was injured for most of last year and played only 24.3 minutes per game in 33 contests, but he was still essential in the postseason (23.8 points per game).
Fact to know: Middleton has 11,468 points in a Bucks uniform over the course of his career, and he's going to easily slide into fourth place early in this season. Assuming health, he's actually going to move all the way past Glenn Robinson into third place in scoring this year, putting him behind only Giannis and Kareem in Bucks lore. He could move into the top three in assists, as well.
TyTy Washington Jr.
Number: 23
Height/weight: 6-3, 195
Age: 21
Years in NBA: 1
College: Kentucky
On a two-way contract, he was a 2022 first-round pick by Memphis, though he spent his first NBA season in Houston, where he scored 4.7 points per game with 1.5 assists in 31 games.
Fact to know: Washington's mom, Felicia Caldwell, has waged an inspiring battle with diabetes and kidney failure, but she made a surprise trip to the NCAA Tournament to see her son play in 2022. She was a standout basketball player herself at Arizona.
Pat Connaughton
Number: 24
Height/weight: 6-5, 209
Age: 30
Years in NBA: 8
College: Notre Dame
About to enter his sixth season with the Bucks, Connaughton has been a steady presence off the bench and contributed greatly to the 2021 championship run. He averages 7.3 points per game in his Bucks career and shoots 36% from three.
What you should know: Connaughton has been active in real estate development in Milwaukee; he has projects brewing in West Allis, Hartland and Midtown in Milwaukee (the latter a partnership with Habitat for Humanity).
Lindell Wigginton
Number: 28
Height/weight: 6-1, 189
Age: 25
Years in NBA: 2
College: Iowa State
Wigginton is on a two-way contract and has seen the floor in 26 games for the Bucks over the past two seasons.
Fact to know: The Canadian just missed becoming the first Nova Scotia native to appear in the NBA, with Nate Darling earning that distinction in 2021. He had to settle for being No. 2.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Number: 34
Height/weight: 6-11, 243
Age: 28
Years in NBA: 10
College: None (Filathlitikos in Greece)
He needs no introduction. The two-time MVP is one of the most decorated and beloved athletes in Wisconsin sports history. He averaged a career-best 31.1 points per game last year and just signed an extension to stay in Milwaukee through the 2027-2028 season.
Fact to know: From his remarkable life journey to his business pursuits, his family and impact on the state, there isn't much we don't already know about Giannis Antetokounmpo. So maybe just enjoy his words of wisdom during the 2021 championship run.
This is everything we need to learn about ego and living in the moment. In one sound bite. I just became a forever fan..pic.twitter.com/ckRGYs9Y7F
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) July 17, 2021
Robin Lopez
Number: 42
Height/weight: 7-1, 281
Age: 35
Years in NBA: 15
College: Stanford
Brook's brother is back for a second go-round with the Bucks; he was also here in the 2019-20 season. He only averaged 3.0 points per game last year with Cleveland and played sparingly over 37 games, but he'll likely be given an opportunity to sub in for his twin.
Fact to know: He loves animals. Lopez is a character of epic proportions, with an affinity for Disney, mascots and a fun social media presence. Last time he was in town, his and Brook's respective cats were feuding. He also has goldendoodles Mimi and Muppet, who have attended a Seattle Mariners game with their owner.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Number: 43
Height/weight: 6-7, 219
Age: 31
Years in NBA: 5
College: None (Panathinaikos in Greece)
The tornado of energy off the bench has been by his brother's side with the Bucks since 2019-20. Last year, he saw action in 37 games.
Fact to know: Thanasis started a podcast last year called Thanalysis, and his teammates have been among those featured as guests.
Andre Jackson Jr.
Number: 44
Height/weight: 6-6, 209
Age: 21
Years in NBA: Rookie
College: Connecticut
The second-round draft pick this year won't be known for his offense initially — he only scored 6.7 points per game last year on his college team — but he's an intriguing option on defense.
Fact to know: Jackson only scored three points in the NCAA championship game last year against San Diego State, but he also handed out six assists as UConn won the national title. He nearly had a triple-double against Gonzaga in the Elite Eight (eight points, 10 assists, nine rebounds).
Jae Crowder
Number: 99
Height/weight: 6-6, 235
Age: 33
Years in NBA: 11
College: Marquette
The local college product was acquired midway through the season last year and played in 18 games after he sat out most of the season; now, he'll be here with a full training camp under his belt. He scored 6.9 points per game with 3.8 rebounds last year.
Fact to know: Crowder and Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler were teammates at Marquette, but Crowder got something Butler didn't; the current Bucks player was named Big East Player of the Year as a senior in 2012, when the Golden Eagles reached the Sweet 16. Somewhat remarkably, Butler was never given an all-conference nod in the Big East, only given honorable-mention as a junior in 2010 and senior in 2011. He'll have to settle for five selections to the All-NBA teams (one second, four third).
Can we just remark upon how great the 2011 Marquette team was, with Crowder, Butler, Vander Blue, Darius Johnson-Odom, Dwight Buycks and Jamil Wilson, all of whom played in the NBA?
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Bucks 2023-24 roster: One interesting fact about each player
