When the Bucks host the Celtics on Oct. 26 in the much-anticipated "Return to the MECCA" game, they will be playing on a replication of the "court that made Milwaukee famous."
A replica of the iconic Robert Indiana-designed floor that the Bucks played on from 1977 through the team’s final season in the MECCA in 1988 will be used at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena for next Thursday’s game, which tips off at 7 p.m. Read more about the "Return to the MECCA" game, part of the Bucks’ 50th anniversary celebration, here.
"On this special night at the MECCA, it’s only fitting for fans to have another chance to see the Bucks play on this iconic court," Dustin Godsey, Milwaukee Bucks chief marketing officer, said in a statement. "Robert Indiana’s famously designed floor is a major part of the legacy of the Bucks and the city of Milwaukee, and we’re proud to celebrate the team’s heritage in our 50th Anniversary season."
The court that will be used for Thursday’s game was painted by ProStar Surfaces, the official floor contractor and supplier of the Milwaukee Bucks, and it was provided by Connor Sports. The paint, supplied by Bona, will match the original court’s paint design. The replication of the famous Robert Indiana floor was made possible thanks to Artists Rights Society and the Morgan Art Foundation, which represents the rights and permission interests of artist Robert Indiana, according to the Bucks.
Born in Milwaukee but a product of Shorewood High School (go ‘Hounds!) and Northwestern University (go ‘Cats!), Jimmy never knew the schoolboy bliss of cheering for a winning football, basketball or baseball team. So he ditched being a fan in order to cover sports professionally - occasionally objectively, always passionately. He's lived in Chicago, New York and Dallas, but now resides again in his beloved Brew City and is an ardent attacker of the notorious Milwaukee Inferiority Complex.
After interning at print publications like Birds and Blooms (official motto: "America's #1 backyard birding and gardening magazine!"), Sports Illustrated (unofficial motto: "Subscribe and save up to 90% off the cover price!") and The Dallas Morning News (a newspaper!), Jimmy worked for web outlets like CBSSports.com, where he was a Packers beat reporter, and FOX Sports Wisconsin, where he managed digital content. He's a proponent and frequent user of em dashes, parenthetical asides, descriptive appositives and, really, anything that makes his sentences longer and more needlessly complex.
Jimmy appreciates references to late '90s Brewers and Bucks players and is the curator of the unofficial John Jaha Hall of Fame. He also enjoys running, biking and soccer, but isn't too annoying about them. He writes about sports - both mainstream and unconventional - and non-sports, including history, music, food, art and even golf (just kidding!), and welcomes reader suggestions for off-the-beaten-path story ideas.
