The Bratwurst – Milwaukee Bucks Blog

This t-shirt from Philly Phaitful features Dr. J, Dr. Julius Erving, twirling the ABA ball on his finger.

The more amazing thing is that I still want to buy this shirt despite Dr. J being involved in one of the weirder situations ever in Bucks’ history. I’ll let Wikipedia summarize…

When he became eligible for the NBA draft in 1972, the Milwaukee Bucks picked him in the first round (12th overall). This move would have brought him together with Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Instead, the 6′ 7″, 210 pound Erving signed a contract with the Atlanta Hawks before the 1972–73 season.^[1]

As attorneys tried to reach an agreement among three teams in two leagues, Erving joined Pete Maravich and the Hawks’s training camp, as they prepared for the upcoming season. Erving enjoyed his brief time with Atlanta, and he would later duplicate with George Gervin his after-practice playing with Maravich. He played three exhibition games with the Hawks until, because of a legal injunction, he was obliged by a three-judge panel to return to the ABA Squires. The NBA fined Atlanta $25,000 per game for Erving’s Hawks appearances because Milwaukee owned his NBA rights.

So yes, Dr. J could have made everyone feel the high-flying deer. Who knows, maybe Lew Alcindor can’t leave town if Dr. J is around and the Bucks win 5 titles. Or maybe Dr. J blows out his knee, and this t-shirt is never made. Oh the possibilities!

There is some absolutely excellent anti-Lebron James clothing out there. My personal favorite has to be this shirt about “The Decision” on ESPN.

Hat tip to SlideRuleJockey on RealGM for linking me to a whole collection of anti-James shirts.

It’s time for another edition of everyone’s favorite infrequently posted blog segment, the NBA Clothing Spotlight. With the Bucks recent hot play, this item is centered around one of the deer that should be feared.

Moute Kicks Boute

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is the silent assassin on the Bucks. He typically has to defend the best offensive player on the other team, be it Dirk Nowitzki or Kevin Durant. As a reward for his hard work, Mbah a Moute never gets a single play called for him. So how does he post a career average of seven points a game? The offensive glass. Despite being undersized as a starting power forward, Luc Richard yanks down over two offensive rebounds a game. Those rebounds usually go straight back up and result in two points for the good guys.

How can you honor a defensive stopper who is arguably the hardest worker in the league? Buy his t-shirt.

Past Editions of NBA Clothing Spotlight

• Zombie Sonics

All too often I encounter NBA-related clothing on the internet, frequently in the style of t-shirts.  It’s time to give that clothing its due and spotlight it.  Here’s the first of what hopefully will be many t-shirts you will almost consider buying.

Zombie Sonics

Remember the Seattle Supersonics?  That team that used to feature the Glove and the Reign Man before Clay Bennett whisked them away to Oklahoma City?  They’re back, at least on this t-shirt.

Now led by Kevin Durant, the team plays on the youngest team in the league in OKC.  Some sportswriters refuse to refer to them by they’re new name (the Oklahoma City Thunder) and instead prefer different incarnations, Zombie Sonics apparently being a favorite of Tree & Leaf Clothing.

Enjoy yourself, starting at $23.99.