The Milwaukee Bucks were literally at home on Tuesday as The Democratic presidential ticket held a rally at the Fiserv Forum.
Bucks president Peter Feigin and star forward Khris Middleton were in attendance at the event, where Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, spoke.
The Hill was first to report Middleton and Feigin would be present.
Harris addressed more than 15,000 people at the Fiserv Forum and briefly addressed the Democratic National Convention in Chicago where headliners included former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.
Bucks players, coaches and executives have made forays into politics over the years. Most notably, the team was owned for nearly 30 years by a Wisconsin business tycoon and a longtime Democratic senator. the late Herb KohlHe invested $100 million to help build the Fiserv Forum and notably kept the Bucks in Milwaukee, rejecting offers over the years.
Since joining the Bucks in 2014, Feigin led the Bucks’ social justice initiatives, particularly the fight against police brutality.He once described Milwaukee as “the most segregated, racist place” he had ever been.
As protests devastated America during the pandemic in 2020 following the police killing of George Floyd, Bucks players also marched in Milwaukee. Another police shooting in Kenosha of Jacob Blake led the Bucks to refusing to take the field for a playoff game while in the Orlando “bubble.”
The Bucks met with President Joe Biden on November 8, 2021, while they were invited to the White House to celebrate their NBA title. Middleton tested positive for COVID-19 and was unable to make the trip, but Giannis Antetokounmpo Facetimed Middleton so the president could speak with him.
Earlier this year, Biden met with Bucks co-owner Wes Edens, coach Doc Rivers, players and staff.
“It was pretty cool,” Middleton told the Journal Sentinel. “I had met a sitting president before that, Barack Obama. I met Bill Clinton a couple of times. So it was cool to finally meet Joe Biden. It was weird not being able to be there with the White House team, but it was cool to make a second attempt or a second effort when he came to Milwaukee. I was really grateful to be invited to come say hi. I was able to bring my kids and my family, it was really cool, especially for them. Someday they’ll look at this picture and realize how cool it was to meet and take a picture with a sitting president.”
Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.
