Khris Middleton Won An NBA Title For The Bucks. Here's How Milwaukee Showed Love In His Return

When an NBA player returns to the arena he once played for, a number of things can happen. He will either walk onto the hardcourt with a poker face bordering on grumpiness, or he will happily dap up the ushers, the security personnel, and just about every fan that can get a hold of him.

Last week, Khris Middleton was definitely the former. He walked back into the Fiserv Forum, not as a faceless adversary, but as a welcome sight that fans of the Milwaukee Bucks missed.

Upon entering the Bucks’ home arena, the current Washington Wizards forward got a hug from Bango the Buck, the Milwaukee mascot who was wearing a no. 22 jersey in his honor. Later, as the PA announcer called out his name during game introductions, fans gave him a standing ovation and brought out giant cutouts of his face. A tribute video, which recapped his 12-year stint in Milwaukee, led to a huge ovation from the appreciative crowd.

If anyone is wondering about the fuss about a Bucks player not named Giannis Antetokounmpo, Middleton was a vital cog of the Milwaukee squad that captured the 2021 NBA championship. In that title run during the last stages of the league’s pandemic era, the 6-foot-7 wing hit clutch shots and spread the floor for Antetokounmpo to have plenty of driving space.

Along with defensive ace Jrue Holiday, Middleton brought veteran smarts and two-way proficiency to a well-balanced Bucks team. Antetokounmpo was (and still is) the cornerstone of Milwaukee, but Middleton helped raise the team’s ceiling to championship heights.

On the week of the 2025 trade deadline, the Bucks shipped Middleton to Washington in a three-team deal that sent Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee. The aftermath of this trade, however, wasn’t marred by reports of Middleton throwing a fit at the team that he’d played for over a decade. Whatever Middleton felt about this transaction, he apparently didn’t see the need to burn that bridge to Wisconsin.

And so it was that Middleton received a hero’s welcome in his first game back on his former home soil. Ironically, after his video tribute aired, Middleton proceeded to knock down a three for the Wizards.

Washington ended up losing 133-120 to the Antetokounmpo-led Bucks. Putting everything into perspective, Middleton expressed gratitude for the warm reception in Milwaukee but remained committed to his role with his new team.

“It was almost a perfect night, if I would’ve got the win,” he said after the game. “But to get that type of recognition, appreciation from the city, the organization, that meant the world to me.”