How do you get those guys to be household names across the NBA? So we are not earning a boatload of points on the deep cuts game.

No, that's fair.

Listen, I think there's been points of time that we've had other great players that would have been deep cuts and they evolved into something special.

You could have done the same thing with Joker with the Nuggets when he was drafted in the second half of the second round.

While the commercial was playing.

Many years ago, and now he's...

Yeah, while Taco Bell commercials play.

Why was that so important to have this season for you guys?

How do you get those guys to be household names across the NBA? So we are not earning a boatload of points on the deep cuts game.

No, that's fair.

Listen, I think there's been points in time that we've had other great players that would have been deep cuts and they evolved into something special.

You could have done the same thing with Joker with the Nuggets when he was drafted in the second half of the second round.

While the commercial was playing.

Many years ago, and now he's...

Yeah, while the Taco Bell commercial was playing.

Why was that so important to have this season for you guys?

commercial was

playing.

Many years ago, and now he's...

Yeah, while Taco Bell commercials play.

And now he's a multi-time MVP and NBA champion.

So it's in part having household names, and we're doing a lot this year.

For the first time in 30 years, every single Milwaukee Bucks game is going to be available for free in every single home in the state of Wisconsin.

Why was that so important to have this season for you guys?

commercial was

playing.

Many years ago, and now he's...

Yeah, while Taco Bell commercials play.

And now he's a multi-time MVP and NBA champion.

So it's in part having household names, and we're doing a lot this year.

For the first time in 30 years, every single Milwaukee Bucks game is going to be available for free in every single home in the state of Wisconsin.

Why was that so important to have this season for you guys?

What's your overall view of what's happening with team values across the sports spectrum?

Yeah, well, Mike, first, you'd be remiss.

I'd be remiss if I didn't bring up.

You also missed NWSL expands to Columbus, Ohio under Haslam Sports Group.

as well, which is something we're excited about as we continue to lean into women's sports.

Here's what I'd say taking a big step back.

When I left Goldman in 2019, I would contend that we were the center of the sports finance universe.

How has that been going for you

It's definitely a new look roster.

Uh, I remember, and I, I'll talk about Giannis, um, again.

I remember, you know, it was probably 2016, '17, um, maybe even earlier.

I was living in New York City, and I was at the Bucks at Nets game, and Giannis was still a scrawny kid.

It was probably his second, his second season, and I remember him catching a pass at half court, taking two dribbles, and dunking the basketball.

And looking at the other Bucks fans around me saying, "Whoa, what is this? This is interesting." I think we're gonna have flashes of that with, you know, with Nate Edmond.

Um, I think people have already seen flashes of that with Braden Buries.

What is the basketball vision for the Milwaukee Bucks right now?

It's definitely a new-look roster.

I remember, and I'll talk about Giannis again, I remember it was probably 2016-17, right? maybe even earlier, I was living in New York City and I was at the Bucs at Nets game and Giannis was still a scrawny kid.

It was probably his second season and I remember him catching a pass at half court, taking two dribbles and dunking the basketball and looking at the other Bucs fans around me saying, whoa, what is this? This is interesting.

I think we're going to have flashes of that with Nate Ament.

I think people have already seen flashes of that with Braden Burry's and while it's easy to remember the peak times you we have to remember we build into those things and and chris middleton was on the roster and he wasn't what chris middleton would ultimately become so so what's fun to me and what i hope is fun for our fans is those little whoa what's that whoa that's that's kind of interesting is there something to do around here and There there've been more than one instances at, at bucks practices.

And even during portions of the optional training camp where you're sitting next to some other people, you know, watching and it's like, Whoa, did you, did you all just see what I saw? And when everyone gets to see that starting tonight in Washington and Friday at our first home game, and we've got three home games next week, when people see those little flashes, I think there's a bit, Whoa, that's interesting.

And then it's on Taylor.

What is the basketball vision for the Milwaukee Bucks right now?

We talked with Bucks President Josh Glessing before the show today.

Like, we're so grateful for everything that Giannis has meant to Milwaukee and to, and to this community.

Yeah.

But at some point we have to turn the page.

Uh, that's the reality and, and if everyone wants to keep going back to the last, the last chapter, uh, they can do that.

Um, and if, if people wanna talk about Giannis and all the good that he did and go back five years to the championship, that's awesome.

What I know is we didn't make the playoffs last year, and our focus right now is making the playoffs and putting together a roster that competes.

Well, one, taking a big step back.

I've been a Milwaukee Bucks fan my entire life.

I grew up 30 minutes south of Milwaukee.

So for me, it's incredible.

I understand.

Listen, I've got direct family relatives who had real questions with real expletives after the honest trade.

So I get I get very real time feedback.

Has it changed enough where maybe you can't have a much viable and profitable business without necessarily getting to the championship stage every year?

What are you seeing from fans right now in terms of demand? As

I'll say, we've sold more tickets in the days following, substantially more tickets in the days following the schedule release than we have in years past.

I think that's for a couple of reasons.

One, we've got something for everybody.

We've got 10 game packages that start at $150.

That's $15 a ticket.

This is ensuring that everyone has access to the building and to our games, to engage with the Bucs.

So you mentioned new look Bucs, and I think a lot of fans are going to want to know as they invest their time and invest their energy in this new young crop of Milwaukee Bucs stars in the making, fans are going to want to still be like, all right, but what am I also getting in addition to the basketball? How are you trying to work that fan experience in different ways, given that there's a lot of unknowns? We don't know what the future holds for this crop of players, but we want to get fans involved and excited early on.

What are you seeing from fans right now in terms of demand? As

I'll say, we've sold more tickets in the days following, substantially more tickets in the days following the schedule release than we have in years past.

I think that's for a couple of reasons.

One, we've got something for everybody.

We've got 10 game packages that start at $150.

That's $15 a ticket.

This is ensuring that everyone has access to the building and to our games, to engage with the Bucs.

So you mentioned new look Bucs, and I think a lot of fans are going to want to know as they invest their time and invest their energy in this new young crop of Milwaukee Bucs stars in the making, fans are going to want to still be like, all right, but what am I also getting in addition to the basketball? How are you trying to work that fan experience in different ways, given that there's a lot of unknowns? We don't know what the future holds for this crop of players, but we want to get fans involved and excited early on.

What are you seeing from fans right now in terms of demand?

i'll say is we've sold more tickets in the days following substantially more tickets in the days following the schedule release than we have in years past i think that's for a couple of reasons one we've got something for everybody and we've got 10 game packages that started 150 so that's 15 a ticket this is ensuring that everyone has access to the building into our games to to engage with the bucks and then we've got an incredible schedule you know you obviously have the marquee matchups that i think a lot of people look to first when we play in miami when we play in the bronze 76ers and then from there you know we open the season on the road at washington against the wizards they have the number one pick in the draft this year aj davansky and then we we come and have our home opener on October 23rd, which is a Friday against the Chicago Bulls, a heated rival from south of 94, who also have an incredible young rookie, Caleb Wilson, that people are really excited about as well.

So we've got a fun schedule.

We've got something for everyone, and we're excited to kick off.

we

do know they're going to compete.

We're going to play at a high level of basketball, and it's going to be an entertaining brand of basketball.

We know that, and we've got some great pieces to do that.

What are you seeing from fans right now in terms of demand?

i'll say is we've sold more tickets in the days following substantially more tickets in the days following the schedule release than we have in years past i think that's for a couple of reasons one we've got something for everybody and we've got 10 game packages that started 150 so that's 15 a ticket this is ensuring that everyone has access to the building into our games to to engage with the bucks and then we've got an incredible schedule you know you obviously have the marquee matchups that i think a lot of people look to first when we play in miami when we play in the bronze 76ers and then from there you know we open the season on the road at washington against the wizards they have the number one pick in the draft this year aj davansky and then we we come and have our home opener on October 23rd, which is a Friday against the Chicago Bulls, a heated rival from south of 94, who also have an incredible young rookie, Caleb Wilson, that people are really excited about as well.

So we've got a fun schedule.

We've got something for everyone, and we're excited to kick off.

we

do know they're going to compete.

We're going to play at a high level of basketball, and it's going to be an entertaining brand of basketball.

We know that, and we've got some great pieces to do that.

Uh, for the first time in 31 years, broadcasts are back on over-the-air television.

One of the big things that's different between today and 1989 is 1989 that was the only way to get Bucks basketball games.

One, you had to be local, and two, that was the only path to get it.

You fast-forward to today, you know, Bucks fans all over the world can get Bucks games through the NBA League Pass.

And then locally, we wanna be in as many households in the state of Wisconsin as we can be.

And this allows us, with no friction, to be in every household.

And it's not just being on My24, but it is also for y- those cord cutters.

So I asked Josh if there will ever be a Bucks TV, if the NBA will take control of the production of broadcasts, and if you're a Spectrum subscriber or whatever your service is, if you will see Bucks TV next to Brewers TV in your channel lineup.