Milwaukee is a special city full of heart, hard-working people and an insatiable appetite for sports. People treat each other with respect, rally around their community, celebrate each other’s cultures and over time, have built their own unique culture that usually charms visitors and returners alike.
With that in mind, prideful Milwaukee Bucks fans took it personally when LeBron James decided to throw a stray at their city — and rightfully so. In defending his bashing of Memphis, the Lakers star decided to throw the Good Land under the bus, marking it as one of the cities he does not like to visit.
This was no surprise to Bucks fans, or even LeBron’s own fans here in Wisconsin, as the 41-year-old has consistently avoided trips to Milwaukee due to “injury” or otherwise, in the late stages of his career.
But how can you really know a place if you don’t give it a chance? This is the question posed by Bucks breakout guard Ryan Rollins, who defended the city against LeBron’s ill-informed take on a national stage.
Ryan Rollins knows the true Milwaukee, and what makes it special.
In a recent appearance on Yahoo Sports Daily, co-host Caroline Fenton asked Rollins if he wanted to clear up any misconceptions about Milwaukee, which immediately reminded him of LeBron’s comments.
“Milwaukee is a great city. They got great food spots. Everybody in Milwaukee is super friendly. There’s a lot of hidden gems out there,” Rollins said.
He acknowledged that the perspective of a visiting team might be different from his own, or even that of an average person visiting the city. But that does not diminish the point of view of the people from here, or those who have made it their home.
LeBron's comments also do not account for the significant growth of the city over the last decade and a half. The downtown area has come to life since the construction of Fiserv Forum, Deer District and the luxury Trade Hotel just across the street from the arena. It may not be The Ritz-Carlton, but the celebrity accommodations in Milwaukee have come a long way.
More importantly for Milwaukee and its fanbase, the city has a sensibility that complements players like Rollins, and vice versa. The fourth-year guard out of Toledo has taken leaps and bounds in his development since joining the Bucks on a two-way contract in 2024, leading to career-highs across the board this year in Milwaukee.
“They show a lot of love out there… Milwaukee is a great fanbase,” he said. “It’s a lowkey spot, I’m a lowkey guy, so I guess it fits me.”
For every LeBron, throwing dirt on the name of a small-market NBA team, there is a Rollins, willing to give it a chance just to find that it's a better fit for him personally than ever expected. The same can be said for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis and a laundry list of players over the years whose preconceived notions of the city were shattered by their time spent here.
No matter what the outside noise tells you — and there was an abundance of it this season — there is good reason to be excited for the Bucks' future, and Rollins plays a big role in that.
MORE HEADLINES FROM THE DAIRYLAND EXPRESS TEAM:
Add us as a preferred source on Google