MILWAUKEE — Khris Middleton has walked the tunnels of Fiserv Forum hundreds of times. But until he arrived for the Washington Wizards’ shootaround on a gray and windy Wednesday morning, hours before the team’s season-opening 133-120 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, he had never done so as an opponent.
Middleton, who admitted it felt “weird” to wake up in a hotel in Milwaukee, said he was “reminiscing” as he walked the familiar path to the court he once called home.
“Done great things in here, so it was definitely a moment I got to reflect on a little bit when I got here,” Middleton said. “Think about the good times, the bad times, the ups and downs, all of it.”
A second-round pick by the Detroit Pistons back in 2012, Middleton was traded to the Bucks ahead of his second season. At the time, he was considered something of a throw-in in the Brandon Knight for Brandon Jennings swap. Over the 11-plus seasons he spent in Milwaukee, he became much more than that. When the Bucks dealt him to the Wizards ahead of the deadline last season, he left as a franchise icon and one of the most beloved athletes in Milwaukee history.
“This place will always be special to me,” Middleton said. “I’ve said it many times: This organization helped me accomplish a lot of my dreams and my goals that I set.”
When Middleton arrived in Milwaukee, the Bucks hadn’t won a playoff series since 2001, and were stuck toiling on the treadmill of mediocrity. Together with Giannis Antetokounmpo, he helped transform the franchise into a perennial contender, and in 2021 the duo led the Bucks to their first title since 1971. Middleton made three All-Star appearances with the Bucks and remains second in games played (735), third in points (12,586), seventh in rebounds (3,598), third in assists (2,990), fifth in steals (870) and first in 3-pointers (1,382) on the franchise’s all-time leaderboard.
“First of all, I think the most important thing, he should get the warmest welcome ever,” Antetokounmpo said earlier this week. “When he comes here and he sees his tribute video, he should be in tears crying before this game. I cannot explain how much Khris means to this team. I cannot explain how much Khris means to me.”
The Bucks’ salute to Middleton on Wednesday began prior to the game when Bango and the team’s entertainment crew welcomed him with “For The Love of Money,” by the O’Jays, which used to blare over the loudspeakers whenever he scored.
“To have that type of welcome before the game was special,” said Middleton, who admitted he was caught off guard.
There were loud cheers when Middleton was introduced in the starting lineup, and an even louder ovation at the first timeout, when his tribute video popped up on the jumbotron. For just over a minute, Middleton’s best moments in a Bucks jersey flashed across the screen. As the montage came to an end, the camera panned to Middleton, who stood and waved to the crowd.
“I wanted to share my love also,” Middleton said. “… To get a standing ovation on the road doesn’t happen often, so I wanted to make sure that they knew I acknowledged them, even though I don’t really speak too much or do too much, but that really meant a lot. I think that’s every player’s dream to get a standing ovation, no matter where they’re at.”
Over the course of the night, Middleton showed that he can still perform at a high level. He poured in 23 points on 9 of 14 from the field, and chipped in six rebounds and three assists. He even took a charge on Antetokounmpo late in the second quarter. After the game, the former teammates were able to return to being friends and shared a moment at midcourt.
At shootaround, Middleton said his goals for the night were to see more Middleton jerseys in the crowd that Antetokounmpo jerseys and to not become too emotional. He accomplished the latter — “Thankful I didn’t cry,” he said postgame — but there was nothing he could do about the former. Still, there were plenty of No. 22s in the crowd, which he called “very special.”
“Words really can’t describe that part,” Middleton said. “That people really spend their money on buying my jersey and wearing it to school, work, out to eat, wherever. That’s something I think my family definitely appreciates and loves, and I wish my father could have been here and seen this tonight because I know he would have loved it also.”
Middleton may not have cried, but he said his family did, and they weren’t the only ones inside Fiserv Forum on Wednesday with tears in their eyes. That’s how much he means to the organization, to the fanbase and to Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo is the better player and the bigger star, but the past decade of Bucks basketball belongs just as much to Middleton.
“I think that’s what legacy is all about — winning,” Middleton said. “We built this organization from a team that was struggling to a contender and eventually to a champion, and that’s something that should always hold here in this building or wherever else they move is that we won a championship for the city.”
When Middleton first stepped out of the tunnel and on to the court on Wednesday morning, he said the first thing he went to look at was the championship banner hanging high up in the rafters. Years from now, whenever his career is done, he should be able to return and see his No. 22 right alongside it.
“It’s not up to me. It’s up to the people that make that decision,” Middleton said. “But yeah, I hope to see that number up there one day. Not any time soon, but that would be great.”
For now, he’ll have to settle for the adoration of an entire city.
“I try to get not too caught up in the moment, but the standing ovations are something that’s special, something that I really didn’t anticipate too much.” Middleton said. “To get that type of love and appreciation from the fans, man, that’s cool. I think we all picture ourselves as kids waving to 20,000 people and I finally got that moment today.”
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