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Big fan of Milwaukee basketball? Then check out this list of Milwaukee Bucks centers with photos and seasons played with the team.&nbsp;It includes almost every center from throughout Milwaukee Bucks history, including current centers and past ones. Featuring some of the&nbsp;<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/greatest-centers-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">greatest NBA centers</a> of all time,&nbsp;the best Bucks&nbsp;Cs include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Lanier, Ervin Johnson, and Jack Sikma.In the 2017-18 NBA season, the current Milwaukee Bucks starting Cs and backup Cs are Thon Maker.&nbsp; Who are the best centers in Milwaukee Bucks history? Here is every player who has ever held the position of Milwaukee Bucks&nbsp;center.

The 25+ Best Milwaukee Bucks Centers of All Time, Ranked

The Best Milwaukee Bucks Centers of All Time

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born April 16, 1947) is an American retired professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. During his career as a center, Abdul-Jabbar was a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), a record 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA selection, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. A member of six NBA championship teams as a player and two more as an assistant coach, Abdul-Jabbar twice was voted NBA Finals MVP. In 1996, he was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. NBA coach Pat Riley and players Isiah Thomas and Julius Erving have called him the greatest basketball player of all time.After winning 71 consecutive basketball games on his high school team in New York City, Alcindor was recruited by Jerry Norman, the assistant coach of UCLA, where he played for coach John Wooden on three consecutive national championship teams and was a record three-time MVP of the NCAA Tournament. Drafted with the first overall pick by the one-season-old Bucks franchise in the 1969 NBA draft, Alcindor spent six seasons in Milwaukee. After leading the Bucks to its first NBA championship at age 24 in 1971, he took the Muslim name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Using his trademark "skyhook" shot, he established himself as one of the league's top scorers. In 1975, he was traded to the Lakers, with whom he played the final 14 seasons of his career and won five additional NBA championships. Abdul-Jabbar's contributions were a key component in the "Showtime" era of Lakers basketball. Over his 20-year NBA career, his teams succeeded in making the playoffs 18 times and got past the first round 14 times; his teams reached the NBA Finals on 10 occasions.
At the time of his retirement at age 42 in 1989, Abdul-Jabbar was the NBA's all-time leader in points scored (38,387), games played (1,560), minutes played (57,446), field goals made (15,837), field goal attempts (28,307), blocked shots (3,189), defensive rebounds (9,394), career wins (1,074), and personal fouls (4,657). He remains the all-time leader in points scored and career wins. He is ranked third all-time in both rebounds and blocked shots. In 2007, ESPN voted him the greatest center of all time, in 2008, they named him the "greatest player in college basketball history", and in 2016, they named him the second best player in NBA history (behind Michael Jordan). Abdul-Jabbar has also been an actor, a basketball coach, and a best-selling author. In 2012, he was selected by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be a U.S. global cultural ambassador. In 2016, President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Bob Lanier

Robert Jerry Lanier Jr. (September 10, 1948 – May 10, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played center for the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association. Lanier was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. In 14 NBA seasons, Lanier averaged 20.1 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.5 bpg, and 1.1 spg while shooting a stellar 51.4% from the field. He played in eight NBA All-Star Games and was named Most Valuable Player of the 1974 game, although he never played in an NBA Finals during his career. His accomplishments came despite a long history with knee injuries. He had his No. 16 jersey retired by both the Pistons and the Bucks and his No. 31 jersey retired by St. Bonaventure University, for whom he played college basketball. After retiring from playing he was an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors, and briefly served as their interim head coach. He went on to work as an NBA Cares Global Ambassador.

Moses Malone

Moses Eugene Malone (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A center, he was named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times, was a 12-time NBA All-Star and an eight-time All-NBA Team selection. Malone led the Philadelphia 76ers to an NBA championship in 1983, winning both the league and Finals MVP. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2001.
Malone began his professional career out of high school after he was selected in the third round of the 1974 ABA Draft by the Utah Stars. He was named an ABA All-Star as a rookie and played two seasons in the league until it merged with the NBA in 1976. He landed in the NBA with the Buffalo Braves, who traded him after two games to the Houston Rockets. Malone became a five-time All-Star in six seasons with the Rockets. After leading the NBA in rebounding in 1979, he was named league MVP for the first time. He led the Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981, and won his second MVP award in 1982. Traded to Philadelphia the following season,  he repeated as MVP and led the 76ers to the 1983 championship. In his first of two stints with Philadelphia, he was an All-Star in each of his four seasons. Following another trade, Malone was an All-Star in his only two seasons with the then Washington Bullets (today's Wizards). He signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks, earning his 12th straight and final NBA All-Star selection in his first season. In his later years, he played with the Milwaukee Bucks before returning to the 76ers and completing his career with the San Antonio Spurs.
Malone was a tireless and physical player who led the NBA in rebounding six times, including a then-record five straight seasons (1981–1985).  Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Boards" for his rebounding prowess, he finished his career as the all-time leader in offensive rebounds after leading both the ABA and NBA in the category a combined nine times. Combining his ABA and NBA statistics, Malone ranks ninth all-time in career points (29,580) and third in total rebounds (17,834). He was named to both the ABA All-Time Team and the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.

Ervin Johnson

Ervin Johnson (born December 21, 1967) is an American retired professional basketball center who played in the National Basketball Association from 1993 to 2006. He currently resides in Colorado as a community ambassador for the Denver Nuggets. He currently coaches the youth club basketball teams E.J. Hoops in Denver.

Andrew Bogut

Andrew Michael Bogut (born 28 November 1984) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Sydney Kings for the National Basketball League (NBL). The 7-foot (2.13 m) center began his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) after he was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the first overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft. He earned All-NBA Third Team honors with the Bucks in 2010. He was traded to the Golden State Warriors in 2012, and was named NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2015, when he won an NBA championship with the Warriors.
Bogut played college basketball for two years with the Utah Utes, and earned national player of the year honors in 2005. He declared for the NBA draft, and became the first Australian to be the NBA's first overall pick. In his first year with the Bucks, Bogut was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2006. He earned all-league honors in 2010 after averaging a career-high 15.9 points along with 10.2 rebounds  per game. He missed most of 2011–12 with an ankle injury, when he was traded to Golden State. After winning the NBA Finals in 2015, Bogut helped the Warriors win an NBA-record 73 games in 2015–16. He was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, where he played briefly before other short stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers. In 2018, he returned to his home country to play for the Sydney Kings. After the end of the 2018–19 NBL season, Bogut signed back with the Warriors.

Jack Sikma

Jack Wayne Sikma (born November 14, 1955) is an American retired basketball center. He was a seven-time NBA All-Star with the Seattle SuperSonics, who drafted him in the first round with the eighth overall pick of the 1977 NBA draft. In 1979, he won an NBA championship with Seattle. Sikma finished his playing career with the Milwaukee Bucks. He was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. 
He was known for his distinctive curly, blond hair along with his trademark step back behind the head jumper during his playing days. During his thirteen-year career, he reached the playoffs eleven times and anomalously established himself as accurate-shooting center. His style of play would become significantly influential for centers at both the amateur and professional levels. Sikma scored 17,287 points in his NBA career.

Vin Baker

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Vincent Lamont Baker (born November 23, 1971) is an American retired professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He appeared in four consecutive All-Star Games. As of 2019, Baker serves as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Alton Lister

Alton Lavelle Lister (born October 1, 1958) is an American retired professional basketball player. He is currently serving as an assistant coach for TNT Katropa in Philippine Basketball Association.
Lister graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School (Dallas, Texas) (in the Lakewood section of Dallas) in 1976, where he led the Wildcats to many victories and was an All-American and All-State team member. He was inducted into Woodrow's Hall of Fame in 1990.

Dave Cowens

David William Cowens (born October 25, 1948) is an American retired professional basketball player and NBA head coach. At 6'9", he played the center position and occasionally played power forward. Cowens spent most of his playing career with the Boston Celtics. He was the 1971 NBA Rookie of the Year and the 1973 NBA Most Valuable Player. Cowens won NBA championships as a member of the Celtics in 1974 and 1976. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991.
Cowens has held numerous NBA head coaching positions. Most recently, Cowens served as an assistant coach and then as a special assistant to Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars.

Larry Sanders

Larry Sanders (born November 21, 1988) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. He played power forward for the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams before declaring himself eligible for the 2010 NBA draft and was selected 15th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks.



Elmore Smith

Elmore Smith (born May 9, 1949) is an American retired professional basketball player born in Macon, Georgia. A 7'0" center from Kentucky State University, he played  in the National Basketball Association from 1971 to 1979.  He was a member of the Buffalo Braves, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Greg Monroe

Gregory Keith Monroe Jr. (born June 4, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for Bayern Munich of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. In his freshman season at Georgetown University, Monroe was named Big East Rookie of the Year. He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the 2010 NBA draft with the seventh overall pick and became the last Pistons player to wear the number 10 jersey, after the Pistons retired the number for Dennis Rodman at halftime of a game against the Chicago Bulls on April 1, 2011.

Scott Williams

Scott Christopher Williams (born March 21, 1968) is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing at 6' 10", he was capable of playing as a power forward or a center.  Williams contributed off the bench during the Chicago Bulls' first three-peat championships (1991–93) early in his professional career.  He developed into a  front court reserve journeyman during his ten-plus seasons in the NBA, where he was known for his hustle and strong defense.  Since his retirement, Williams has coached in the NBA Development League and NBA as well as commentating for a variety of NBA teams.  Williams is currently the color analyst for the Grand Canyon Antelopes men's basketball team. Scott has a daughter, Ava Williams, and a son, Ben Williams.

Frank Brickowski

Francis Anthony Brickowski (born August 14, 1959) is an American retired professional basketball player, formerly in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Curtis Perry

Curtis R. Perry (born September 13, 1948) is a retired American basketball player. Born in Washington, D.C., he attended Southwest Missouri State University and played at forward.
Perry was selected by the San Diego Rockets in the third round of the 1970 NBA draft and by the Virginia Squires in the 1970 ABA Draft.Perry played for the NBA's San Diego Rockets/Houston Rockets (1970–71), Milwaukee Bucks (1971–74) and Phoenix Suns (1974–78).
He helped the Bucks win the 1971–72 and 1972–73 NBA Midwest Division titles, and the 1973–74 NBA Western Conference championship, as well as helping the Phoenix Suns win the 1975–76 NBA Western Conference championship.  In the 1976 Finals, Perry was a key player in "the greatest game ever played" in NBA history.
In 8 seasons he played in 480 games and had 13,656 minutes played, a .455 field goal percentage (1,904 for 4,188), .699 free throw percentage (770 for 1,101), 4,239 rebounds, 906 assists, 1,670 personal fouls and 4,578 points.  He averaged 9.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

John Henson

John Allen Henson (born December 28, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of North Carolina where he was a two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

Samuel Dalembert

Samuel Davis Dalembert (born May 10, 1981) is a former Haitian-Canadian professional basketball player who last played for the Shanxi Zhongyu of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for Seton Hall University. He is known for his shot blocking ability.

Zaza Pachulia

Zaza Pachulia (Georgian: ზაზა ფაჩულია; [zɑzɑ pɑtʃʰuliɑ] born Zaur Pachulia; February 10, 1984) is a Georgian professional basketball player who last played for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018. He has played for the Georgia national team, captaining them in multiple tournaments.

Drew Gooden

Andrew Melvin Gooden III (born September 24, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports broadcaster for NBC Sports Washington. The power forward played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Gooden played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks, where he was a consensus first-team All-American in 2002. He earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors with the Memphis Grizzlies after they selected him in the first round of the 2002 NBA draft with the fourth overall pick.

Joe Smith

Joseph Leynard Smith (born July 26, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player who played at power forward position for 12 teams of the NBA during his 16-year career.
Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, Smith was the College Player of the Year at Maryland in 1995 and the No. 1 pick of that season's NBA draft, picked by the Golden State Warriors. He was named to the 1995–96 All-Rookie team. Smith was mobile throughout his career, as he was one of the most traded players in league history. In 1998, Smith was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers; he then played for the Minnesota Timberwolves (with a midway pitstop for the Detroit Pistons) until 2003. He later played for the Milwaukee Bucks, the Denver Nuggets, the 76ers again, the Chicago Bulls, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Atlanta Hawks, the New Jersey Nets, and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kent Benson

Michael Kent Benson (born December 27, 1954) is a retired American collegiate and professional basketball player. Having had a prolific career during the 1970s and 1980s, he scored a career high of 38 points, playing college basketball and later spending 11 seasons in the NBA for four teams. Benson was the No. 1 overall pick of the 1977 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Wayne Embry

Wayne Richard Embry (born March 26, 1937) is a retired American basketball player & basketball executive. Embry's 11-year playing career as a center/forward spanned from 1958 to 1969 playing for the Cincinnati Royals, Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, all of the NBA. After his playing career, Embry transitioned to a career as a professional basketball executive, becoming the first African-American general manager & team president in NBA history.
Since 2004, Embry has served as a senior basketball advisor for the Toronto Raptors.

Tyrone Hill

Tyrone Hill (born March 19, 1968) is an American retired basketball player and, since 2008–09, assistant coach for the National Basketball Association's Atlanta Hawks. Hill spent four years playing collegiately at Xavier University, in his last season averaging 20.2 points and 12.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 58.1% from the field. The Golden State Warriors selected him with the eleventh pick of the 1990 NBA draft.After three years in Golden State, Hill was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the summer of 1993. Playing under Mike Fratello, Hill earned an All-Star Game appearance in 1995. He set Cleveland's single-season franchise record by shooting a career-best 60.0% from the field (and ranked second in the NBA). Hill was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks in a 1997 three-team deal involving notably Terrell Brandon and Shawn Kemp, and spent the remainder of his career between the Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland (2 stints; 1993–94 to 1996–97 and 2001–02 to 2002–03), and the Miami Heat.As the starting power forward for Philadelphia, Hill teamed up with Theo Ratliff and later with Dikembe Mutombo with whom he played in the 2001 NBA Finals, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers.  He is frequently referred to as the ultimate "lunch pail and hard hat" player, due to his rugged style of play and relentless defense and rebounding prowess.Hill had a career field-goal shooting percentage of 50.2 and free-throw percentage of 63.Tyrone also owned a Cincinnati, Ohio-based record company called All Net Records and released various singles and albums by groups including OTR Clique, D'Meka, Renaizzance, and KompoZur.Tyrone Hill Was Charged With Battery & Assault to A Cleveland City Worker In 2012 and Served 30 months in The Ohio State Penitentiary.

Anthony Mason

Anthony George Douglas Mason (December 14, 1966 – February 28, 2015) was an American professional basketball player. In his 13-year career he played with the New Jersey Nets, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. He averaged 10.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in his 13-year NBA career. Mason earned the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1995 and led the NBA in minutes played in the following two seasons. In 1997, he was named to the All-NBA Third Team and the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. He was selected to the 2001 NBA All-Star Game. Mason was a member of the 1993-1994 New York Knicks team that reached the NBA Finals.
Mason played collegiately for Tennessee State University and also played professionally in Turkey, Venezuela, the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and the United States Basketball League (USBL).

Swen Nater

Swen Erick Nater (born January 14, 1950) is a retired Dutch professional basketball player, primarily in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the only player to have led both the NBA and ABA in rebounding. Nater was a two-time ABA All-Star and was the 1974 ABA Rookie of the Year. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins, winning two National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) titles.

Big fan of Milwaukee basketball? Then check out this list of Milwaukee Bucks centers with photos and seasons played with the team.&nbsp;It includes almost ...