Milwaukee City Wire

In light of the Milwaukee Bucks winning the 2021 NBA championship, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin had one person to thank: Her predecessor and former Bucks owner, Herb Kohl.

If it weren’t for Kohl plunking down $18 million in 1985, the Bucks could’ve left Cream City and there wouldn’t be an emotional NBA Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo looking toward the Fiserv floor as Game 6 against the Suns came to a celebratory close.

“A big Wisconsin thank you to my good friend, Herb Kohl, for keeping the @Bucks in Milwaukee and making the happiness and pride we are feeling a reality for so many,” Baldwin tweeted on July 21.

The Bucks captured their first title in 50 years after opening the Finals with a 0-2 deficit.

When the series shifted to Milwaukee, so did the momentum.

Milwaukee Mag reported that Kohl, whose family founded Kohl’s Department Stores, in 2014 gifted $100 million for the venue that would become Fiserv Forum.

The donation was welcomed by then-Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, who tweeted after the Bucks’ coronation that Kohl, a Democrat, is the “GOAT of saving the @Bucks.”

Kohl served in the U.S. Senate from 1989 to 2013.