Bucks get championship rings, beat Nets in season opener: ‘It is insane’

On her 26th birthday, Ciara Corrigan boarded a 6 a.m. train.

She was traveling from Chicago, where she now lives, to her native Milwaukee for a very special celebration. Corrigan and her mom took the day off work to attend the Milwaukee Bucks’ championship parade in July. Several months later, they were in attendance when the team received its championship rings and unveiled its banner.

“It is insane to me. I remember when I was 12 or 13 years old, coming to the games and never really having super high expectations, but it’s amazing and electric to see the way that this championship has changed the city of Milwaukee,” Corrigan said before the game Tuesday.

Never in her life had a Milwaukee team hoisted a championship banner. And fans were amped before Tuesday’s game. For the first time ever, the Bucks sold out all of their season tickets for this year, and there wasn’t an empty seat in the house for the season opener against the Brooklyn Nets.

“I’ve been looking forward to this. I said, ‘You’ve got to come at least for this experience because it’s once-in-a-lifetime,’” Ray Hampton said before the game. “It’s been a long time since we had a championship in Milwaukee, so you’ve got to celebrate it.”

The Milwaukee native watched lots of last season’s playoffs from the Deer District. It was exciting to be part of history, he said.

“It’s a beautiful thing. It’s beautiful for the team. It’s beautiful for the city, because it lets the team know, lets the city know that we can come together as a city and celebrate, no matter what your background is, just come together and just enjoy basketball,” Hampton said.

Former Bucks play-by-play announcer Jim Paschke hosted the Bucks’ pregame ceremony. Owner Marc Lasry thanked the fans in the Deer District and said Milwaukee is celebrating its first of many championships.

There was a standing ovation when NBA commissioner Adam Silver presented a diamond-encrusted ring to former U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl. The 86-year-old bought the team in 1985 to stop the Bucks from leaving Wisconsin. He sold the franchise to its current owners. The crowd went wild when the players came out to collect their hardware, too.

“My first thought as soon as it was handed to me was: This is the biggest ring I’ve ever seen in my life, and there’s a lot of diamonds in it,” Jordan Nwora said. “But it was really crazy. Not a lot of people get to say they have a championship ring. Like I said, it was surreal, walking out there, seeing it, being able to actually hold it for the first time. It’s something special, for sure. It’s something that I’ll have with me for the rest of my life.”

Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said it was a “special night.”

“I think if you’ve watched the NBA for a long time, this is not an easy night for the team that gets to receive their rings and have the banner, so I’m very pleased,” he said.

Superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo scored the first two points of the season for Milwaukee, and the Bucks got off to a fast start. They made seven 3-pointers in the first quarter and led 37-25.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn’s stars didn’t make much of a dent early in the game. Kevin Durant had just 4 points in the first quarter.

The Nets — preseason favorites to win an NBA title this season — narrowed their lead before halftime as the Bucks worked with a short bench. Bobby Portis, Semi Ojeleye and Donte DiVincenzo are out with injuries. Jrue Holiday left the game with an ankle contusion. Budenholzer said his MRI came back clean.

Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 18 points in the first half, and the Bucks took a 66-59 advantage into the locker room.

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Despite improved play from Durant, who finished the game with 32 points, the Nets could never work their way back. The Bucks won 127-104.

Antetokounmpo closed out the game with 32 points and 14 rebounds, while Khris Middleton had 20 points. Pat Connaughton and Nwora both finished in double-digits off the bench.

Grayson Allen didn’t shoot very well in his first game for the Bucks. Allen, who previously played for Memphis, signed a two-year extension with Milwaukee before the season started. He had 10 points in 28 minutes. He’s expected to be an important role player for the Bucks while DiVincenzo is out.

Allen had six assists, and he creates a lot of space on the floor, Budenholzer said.