Bucks Respond to 'First Take' Describing Milwaukee as 'Terrible'

Milwaukee Bucks president Peter Feigin penned an open letter in response to a First Take segment Wednesday where nearly everyone on the panel was unified in their contempt towards possibly traveling to one of the “terrible cities” that remain in contention for the NBA Finals.

Feigin questioned when was the last time any of the First Take hosts visited Milwaukee, and offered to give them a personal tour, highlighting its “eclectic and exciting neighborhoods,” and “spectacular Lake Michigan waterfront.”

“There’s a reason people are moving to this welcoming gem of a city in record numbers,” Feigin wrote. “Oh, by the way, Milwaukeans are very nice. Look forward to hearing from you.”

The First Take crew appeared to be particularly displeased about the possibility of going to Milwaukee next month. “Do you really want to be in Milwaukee? Is that where you want to be?,” guest Damien Woody asked, leading to an emphatic “hell no” response from Stephen A. Smith. Moderator Molly Qerim Rose chimed in, saying she was relieved that her and Max Kellerman weren’t traveling for the Finals because “it’s going to be terrible cities.”

While Kellerman tried to defend Rose’s remarks by saying that she didn’t mean it, Smith doubled down, stating, “I don’t believe I’ve rooted for the Atlanta Hawks or Los Angeles Clippers more in my life.” According to FiveThirtyEight, the Bucks have a 79 percent chance of making it the NBA Finals, as opposed to the Hawks’ odds, which sit at 21 percent with Game 1 scheduled for later tonight.

In 2019, Inside the NBA host Ernie Johnson fought back tears while speaking about the opportunity to return to his hometown of Milwaukee to cover the Bucks’ first two home games in the Eastern Conference Finals.