There have been plenty of talented individuals who have donned a Milwaukee Bucks uniform through its 55 years of existence to this point, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on top of everyone's list. And with great players come great success, as the Bucks have a record above .500 in the entirety of its existence (2340-2103), with two championship banners spanning 50 years hanging on the rafters of Fiserv Forum.

But beyond those championship-winning teams, there have been plenty of great Bucks teams in its history. And in this exercise, we'll be taking a look at the 10 greatest iterations of the Bucks heading into the 2023-24 season.

10. 2000-01

The Bucks missed the playoffs for seven straight seasons from 1991 to 1998 — the longest postseason drought in franchise history. But in the late 1990s, Ray Allen came and lifted the franchise to playoff contention once more, even culminating in an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2001 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Allen-led, George Karl-coached team won 52 games, and they had a strong core rounded out by Sam Cassell, Glenn Robinson, and Tim Thomas. But the Eastern Conference wasn't exactly teeming with powerhouses during this period, and the Bucks had to eke by the Charlotte Hornets in seven games in the second round.

These Bucks had a golden opportunity to advance to the 2001 NBA Finals (to set up a drubbing at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers, of course), but they faltered in Game 7 after Allen Iverson exploded for 44 points to put the nail into Milwaukee's coffin. It didn't take long for the team to implode, eventually leading to the disastrous trade that sent Ray Allen to the Seattle SuperSonics for a 34-year old Gary Payton.

9. 2019-20

This team may not have made the Eastern Conference Finals like the Bucks did in 2001, as they struggled in Round 2 against the Miami Heat. Eric Bledsoe's lack of shooting was exposed, Giannis Antetokounmpo battled injuries, and Khris Middleton, try as he might, was unable to overcome the lack of production from his supporting cast.

But the 2019-20 Bucks were an incredible regular season team that may have had a shot at redeeming their loss in the ECF the year prior had the pandemic not derailed the season. They had an incredible 76.7 percent win rate — good for third-best in franchise history — and they had an elite net rating of +9.4, towering over the rest of the league during that campaign.

It's simply a shame that the Bucks fizzled out of the bubble; on the bright side, however, it's this playoff exit that led to the team's eventual trade for Jrue Holiday, which elevated the team's championship equity considerably.

8. 1983-84

The 1980s should not be a forgotten period for the Bucks, as despite failing to win a championship during this decade, they were one of the most successful franchises of this period. Case in point, three of the Bucks' greatest teams on this list will be coming from that period, even if those teams ran into the likes of the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers year after year, preventing them from even making the NBA Finals.

Sidney Moncrief and Marques Johnson formed one of the best two-way perimeter duos of their time, while Bob Lanier anchored the team's interior. The 1983-84 Bucks may have won just 50 games, the worst win total on the list, but they had the poise to progress deep into the playoffs, making the Eastern Conference Finals.

Sure, they ran into the buzzsaw that was the Celtics, but making the ECF alone is a huge achievement that not a lot of teams in franchise history can attest to.

7. 1982-83

In Sidney Moncrief's best scoring season, the Bucks won 51 games with a healthy net rating of +4.4, which was good for fifth in the NBA. But as is the case with every Bucks team in this list, they ran into the eventual champion in the playoffs, this time unable to overcome the Sixers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

But if there's anything the 1983 Bucks can hang their hats on, it's that they dealt the Sixers' only loss during that postseason. They played spoiler to Moses Malone's “Fo, Fo, Fo” prediction, instead making it “Fo, Fi, Fo”, which isn't too shabby in the grand scheme of things given how elite the Sixers were during that season. There was simply no stopping them, so taking a game from them isn't the worst when it comes to moral victories.

6. 1985-86

Yet another iteration of the Bucks that could have won a championship if it wasn't for the Celtics, this Milwaukee team was brimming with quality players from top to bottom, with, of course, Sidney Moncrief still leading the way. Alas, with the departure of Marques Johnson, the Bucks did not have the necessary top-end talent to give the powerhouse Celtics more of a challenge, getting swept in the Eastern Conference Finals in the end.

That shouldn't take way from the fact that these Bucks won 57 games while boasting a net rating of +8.8, good for second best in the league (trailing just the Celtics). It's just a heartbreaker for the franchise that Larry Bird and company were at the height of their powers during this year, as the Celtics ran the table en route to their third championship in the 1980s.

5. 1971-72

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a monster in 1972 (a theme for the greatest Bucks teams of the '70s), averaging 34.4 points, 16.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists to lead his team to 63 wins. Bob Dandridge wasn't too shabby either, as he put up 18.4 points a night to give Abdul-Jabbar some scoring help from the perimeter.

However, Oscar Robertson was clearly in decline at this point in time. It wouldn't be long until he decides to hang up his sneakers anyway, but his production paled in comparison to that of his output in 1971, when they won the championship. And the Bucks simply did not have enough as a result to overcome a deep Lakers team that had Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, and Jim McMillan all playing at a high level, losing to them in the Conference Finals in the end.

4. 2018-19

After a few years of underperformance under former head coach Jason Kidd, the Bucks made a seismic change, going with Joe Prunty at the helm to end 2018 and then hiring Mike Budenholzer, the brain behind the powerhouse Atlanta Hawks team in the mid-2010s, in an attempt to take the team to the next level. And that's exactly what Budenholzer did, instilling a five-out offense and a beastly defensive scheme, taking Milwaukee from 44 wins in 2018 to 60 in 2019.

Of course, the 2019 Bucks' five-out offense would not have worked had they not added Brook Lopez to the team. Lopez was coming off a disappointing season for the Lakers, and the Bucks picked him up for dirt cheap. Lopez formed a nasty defensive duo with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who won his first MVP during this year to go along with the Defensive Player of the Year award. Neat stuff.

And for some time, it seemed like the Bucks were going to ride their newfound greatness all the way to the NBA Finals. They took a 2-0 lead against the Toronto Raptors in the ECF, and they came within minutes away from winning Game 3. Alas, Kawhi Leonard's championship mettle won out in the end, as the Raptors won four straight games, knocking out the Bucks in heartbreaking fashion.

3. 1973-74

The Bucks and Celtics' rivalry runs deep. Now, it might be trendy for fans of either team to hate on the other, especially on social media. But if they were alive in 1974 to witness how hotly-contested the 1974 NBA Finals was between these two teams, this rivalry would take on a whole new meaning.

Before the Celtics sent the Bucks home year after year in the 1980s, they faced in the 1974 NBA Finals, with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Dandridge, and Oscar Robertson (in the final year of his career) taking on Dave Cowens, John Havlicek, and Jo Jo White in a star-studded clash. The Bucks seemed to gain momentum with a 102-101 victory in overtime to send the series to a Game 7, but in the end, it was Cowens who had the upper hand over Abdul-Jabbar.

This season was the last in a four-year stretch of brilliance for the Bucks, as the team would go on to win just 38 games (missing the playoffs) in 1975, leading to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's eventual move to Los Angeles.

2. 2020-21

Giannis Antetokounmpo finally broke through, winning a championship in 2021 with Jrue Holiday proving to be the final piece to his and Khris Middleton's championship puzzle. But it wasn't an easy road at all for the Bucks, as there were plenty of occasions when it seemed like they would fall prey to the ghosts of their playoff choking past.

Against the Brooklyn Nets in the second round, the Bucks literally could have been eliminated if Kevin Durant had smaller feet. And during that series, Budenholzer wasn't very convincing in his coaching as well, as the team struggled to overcome the Nets even though Kyrie Irving was out due to injury and James Harden was severely hampered by his hamstring niggle.

After beating the Atlanta Hawks in the ECF, the Bucks then fell 2-0 to the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals, only for the team to storm back and win four in a row.

Winning a championship, of course, cures all, hence their placement as second on the rankings. But there's no way they're worthy of unseating the number one team on this list.

1. 1970-71

The 2021 team was great in its own right, make no mistake about it. But the Bucks' sheer dominance in 1971 makes them the most deserving team of the number one spot on the greatest teams in franchise history list.

Oscar Robertson was still an All-Star at this point, and he formed a deadly inside-out duo with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was just in his second season. They stood tall above every other team, winning 66 games in the regular season and then dominating their opponents in the playoffs losing just two games en route to sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in the NBA Finals to win the franchise's first championship.

They also had a net rating of +10.8, outscoring their opponents on average per 100 possessions by double digits, which puts in greater perspective how much better of a team they were than the rest of the pack in 1971.