Yahoo Home The Milwaukee Bucks' NBA championship is our top Wisconsin sports story in 2021. Here are the others from a special year.
Wisconsin sports in 2021 were truly special, often for the better, though sometimes not.
The three highest-profile pro teams in the state — the Brewers, Bucks and Packers — all became significant newsmakers, and there was plenty to talk about for Wisconsin and Marquette sports, as well. Here's a look back at an unforgettable year with the 15 biggest sports stories of the year.
1. The Milwaukee Bucks win the NBA championship
It really happened. The journey that truly gained momentum with an epic overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals dovetailed into a rise-to-the-occasion performance against Atlanta with Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined, and the Bucks reached their first NBA Finals since 1974. Then, after falling behind in the series, 2-0, Milwaukee surged back to win the next four games, closing the door at Fiserv Forum on July 20 on an unforgettable night. That was followed by a title parade in downtown Milwaukee as the franchise celebrated its first championship in 50 years.
What will you remember most from that run? Giannis returning from what looked like a catastrophic injury? His 50-point performance in Game 6 of the NBA Finals? Kevin Durant's toe on the line on a shot that could have ended the run right there in the Eastern Conference semis? The Deer District? The Block? The Valley Oop?
1A. The Year of Giannis Antetokounmpo
We can't just stop there when it comes to Giannis.
It's ironic that the winner of back-to-back NBA MVP honors wasn't awarded the same in 2021, because this was unquestionably his most memorable year. The no-brainer choice for NBA Finals MVP looked like he was surely lost for the rest of the playoffs with an injury in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.
But somehow he was able to return for the NBA Finals and proceeded to have a Finals for the ages. Consider the bullet points on his season:
Whether you regard his game-saving Game 4 block against Deandre Ayton or his finish of the alley-oop from Jrue Holiday in Game 5 as the true highlight of the Finals, he was at the center of both lasting visuals. After he scored 50 points in the clinching game with an uncharacteristic brilliant performance from the free-throw line, he was an NBA champion.
One day later, Giannis made a stop at a Brookfield Chick-Fil-A drive thru, with his trophies in tow, turning a now-famous lunch order (50 chicken minis and a drink half-lemonade, half-Sprite) into one of the great viral sports moments of the year.
After the season, Giannis was announced as a new minority owner of the Milwaukee Brewers.
The book "Giannis" by Mirin Fader arrived at the perfect time after the season, chronicling his long journey from poverty in Greece to NBA superstardom.
Heck, it's easy to forget that he was the NBA All-Star Game MVP for the first time in March, making all 16 of his shots.
He was again lighting it up at the start of the new season, even though he was placed in the health and safety protocols Dec. 14, one day shy of the one-year anniversary of signing the supermax contract to stay in Milwaukee.
2. The Year of Aaron Rodgers
The bullet points for another Wisconsin sports superstar in 2021 are just as fascinating, though not always in a comfortable way.
It began with winning the NFL MVP award for the 2020 season, the capstone to a renaissance performance that led the Packers to the NFC championship game ... though unfortunately, no further. It was his third MVP honor. From there, the Rodgers story navigated into more unusual waters.
During his MVP speech, Rodgers noted that he had recently gotten engaged, which was a surprise to Packers fans who didn't realize how serious the quarterback's relationship had gotten with well-known actress Shailene Woodley. Fans weren't even sure if Woodley was the fiancée in question.
Rodgers was one of several guest hosts selected for the wildly popular game show "Jeopardy!" after the death of regular host Alex Trebek in November 2020. His stint went well, and he later indicated he'd love the gig full time, so it became an intriguing subplot to ...
On the night of the NFL draft in April, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Rodgers was unhappy with the Packers and did not want to return to the franchise.
Rodgers famously vacationed in Hawaii with Woodley and actor Miles Teller during the offseason (and in lieu of attending the first optional workouts of the season).
He also spearheaded a fund that helped small-business owners struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic and appeared in "The Match," a made-for-TV golf event featuring Phil Mickelson, Tom Brady and Bryson DeChambeau.
Rodgers ultimately reported to mandatory training camp but aired a series of grievances with the franchise upon his return.
He indicated he was "immunized" when asked if he was vaccinated for COVID-19. That distinction went under the microscope in November when Rodgers tested positive for the virus and it was revealed he had not taken one of the NFL-approved vaccines. He missed Green Bay's Week 9 game against the Chiefs, a loss with backup Jordan Love under center, and defiantly explained his reasons for not taking the vaccine on "The Pat McAfee Show."
Oh yeah, and he was pretty good on the football field. After a Week 1 clunker against the Saints, the Packers won seven straight games with Rodgers under center, including a Week 8 win on the road over undefeated Arizona with Green Bay missing its top three receivers. By mid-December, the Packers were perched in position to repeat as the NFC's top seed.
3. Barry Alvarez retires
The man who reshaped Wisconsin Badgers football from an also-ran to Big Ten power ended a 30-plus year run at the school with the announcement he was stepping down as the school's athletic director, a post he'd held since 2004. Alvarez joined the university as football coach in 1990, opening with a heck of a statement at the introductory news conference and never looking back.
The university then named Alvarez's top assistant, former UW football player and Pewaukee High School standout Chris McIntosh, as Alvarez's successor.
4. The Year of Corbin Burnes
For the first time since Rollie Fingers in 1982, a Brewers pitcher won the Cy Young Award when Corbin Burnes landed the National League honor. His dominance was representative of the Brewers' success this year, buoyed by a three-headed monster in the pitching rotation with Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta, both all-stars alongside Burnes.
The Brewers also had the NL reliever of the year for the fourth straight year when Josh Hader (who also won in 2018 and 2019) took the honor. Hader threw the ninth inning Sept. 11 after Burnes threw the first eight against Cleveland in the franchise's first no-hitter since 1987.
5. Badgers volleyball, hockey secure NCAA team championships
COVID-19 created strange circumstances across the sports landscape; how about two Final Fours in one calendar year? Not to mention the first championship in program history?
The Wisconsin volleyball team, led by a loaded senior class able to return for a fifth year because of the NCAA's COVID-19 policies, won a tremendous five-setter over Nebraska for the 2021 NCAA championship in December, the first title in program history.
Decorated middle blocker Dana Rettke was named the AVCA national player of the year, and she became the first five-time first-team All-American.
Wisconsin also reached the national semifinals in a delayed 2020 season, falling to Texas after an undefeated run through the shortened regular season. UW defeated Florida in five sets in the Elite Eight.
Then, in a regularly scheduled fall season, the team swept Minnesota to reach a third straight Final Four.
But don't forget about the UW women's hockey team, which didn't get a 2019-20 championship tournament but did follow up its 2018-19 title with another crown this year.
Daryl Watts, a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award given to the nation's best player, scored in overtime, giving Wisconsin a 2-1 win over Northeastern in the women's Frozen Four, the program's sixth title since 2006.
6. The Willy Adames trade turns around a season
Before May 21, the Milwaukee Brewers offense was in such a slump that it didn't seem like it could muster enough to get a team with three ace pitchers to the playoffs. By the end of the year, the Brewers were all but running away with the National League Central and won 95 games, threatening the franchise record for wins. The difference-maker might just be Willy Adames, a shortstop acquired from Tampa Bay in exchange for big-league pitchers J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen.
Adames became the team's best offensive player and provided an emotional spark as the Brewers at one point went on an 11-game winning streak. Milwaukee lost in four games to the eventual champion Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series, an unprecedented fourth straight Brewers playoff campaign.
7. Despite endless array of injury obstacles, Packers among NFL's elite again
For nearly a whole season, the Packers were without two second-team All Pro defenders in Za'Darius Smith and Jaire Alexander. First-team All-Pro offensive lineman David Bakhtiari, after tearing his ACL on New Year's Eve 2020, still hadn't played in the 2021 season heading into its final stages, part of an offensive line decimated by injuries (including a torn ACL to All-Pro candidate Elgton Jenkins). Tight end Robert Tonyan was lost for the year, Aaron Rodgers battled a toe injury, receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling missed a chunk of the early season and receiver Randall Cobb suffered a major core injury late.
And still, the Packers were among the best in the NFC and a serious contender to win the Super Bowl in early 2022.
The pain of the NFC championship game loss to Tampa Bay at Lambeau Field in January still stings, but perhaps this team will erase those bad memories. After surviving a scare from the Cleveland Browns on Christmas Day, the Packers were in the driver's seat with the top seed in the NFC at 12-3 with two games remaining.
8. Shaka Smart joins Marquette
Before Marquette hired basketball coach Steve Wojciechowski in 2014, there was some thought the university would be bringing in successful Virginia Commonwealth coach and Wisconsin native Shaka Smart, who wound up staying at VCU and then moving on to Texas. But when MU fired Wojciechowski after the 2020-21 season, it found an opportunity to unite with Smart after all, hiring the coach away from Texas to help return the program to prominence.
Smart got off to a good start when the Golden Eagles upset Illinois in mid November.
9. Ryder Cup a rousing success at Whistling Straits
Highly regarded golf course Whistling Straits, outside of Kohler, waited an extra year to host the Ryder Cup thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, and when the event finally arrived on the shores of Lake Michigan, the course delivered. Not only that, but the United States won in resounding fashion against Europe at the prestigious biennial event, making a champion of Wisconsin native and team captain Steve Stricker.
10. Molly Seidel becomes stunning Olympic success
A runner who starred during her prep days at University Lake School and at the University of Notre Dame, Molly Seidel nonetheless was a massive surprise when she took the bronze medal in the Olympic marathon in Tokyo. She'd overcome the mental-health struggles that briefly derailed her career and followed up her medal with an American women's record in the New York marathon ... with broken ribs, no less.
Rice Lake's Kenny Bednarek took silver in the 200 meters at the Olympics and Waterford's Madelynn Bernau took third in trap shooting for another bronze.
11. Farewell to Hank Aaron
Former Milwaukee Braves star and longtime MLB home run champion Hank Aaron died in January. One of baseball's great ambassadors, Aaron was 86 years old. For a short time, there was some thought MLB would relocate the All-Star Game from Atlanta (MLB elected to move the game because of Georgia's voting laws) to Milwaukee as an Aaron tie-in, but the game went to Colorado instead. The Atlanta Braves, however, went on to win the World Series, topping Milwaukee in a serendipitous all-Aaron divisional series.
12. Farewell to Ted Thompson
The general manager who helped bring a Super Bowl to Green Bay in early 2011, Ted Thompson, died at age 68, just three years after stepping down from his post with the Packers. Thompson, whose litany of moves included drafting Aaron Rodgers in 2005, was in charge for 13 seasons.
13. J.J. Watt relocates
For a couple weeks, Packers fans remained optimistic that Wisconsin's favorite son, J.J. Watt, would wind up suiting up in Green Bay. The Pewaukee native and former University of Wisconsin star parted ways with the Houston Texans, the NFL franchise with which he built a Hall of Fame career over a decade. But the financial gymnastics were too much for the Packers, and Watt wound up signing with the Arizona Cardinals before being lost for the year to injury midway through the season. Younger brother T.J., meanwhile, signed a lucrative deal to stay in Pittsburgh and put forth a season worthy of NFL defensive player of the year.
More: Pewaukee native J.J. Watt shows his Milwaukee Bucks pride at Sunday's game
More: A look at what the Watts were up to heading into the 2021 season
14. Patrick Baldwin Jr. chooses UW-Milwaukee
Sussex Hamilton basketball standout Patrick Baldwin Jr. has been one of the top-rated players in his class nationally for years, and when it came time to make his college decision, he chose ... UW-Milwaukee? Baldwin eschewed offers from a who's who of college programs to stay close to home and play for his father, the head coach of the Panthers. It was a nontraditional approach for a player who presumably will be in the NBA by this time next year.
15. Wisconsin football battles back, but then fizzles
It was a rollercoaster season for the Badgers football program, which started 1-3 as sophomore quarterback Graham Mertz struggled. But bolstered by a breakthrough performance by 17-year-old freshman running back Braelon Allen, the Badgers went on to win their next seven games, putting themselves on the cusp of the Big Ten title game. UW fell short, however, when Minnesota toppled Bucky for Paul Bunyan's Axe, 23-13, in the last game of the regular season, and Wisconsin wound up in the Las Vegas Bowl against Arizona State, scoring a 20-13 win Dec. 30.
Other stories of note
After the year began with arenas and stadiums with scaled-back fan attendance to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, venues such as Camp Randall Stadium, Fiserv Forum, Lambeau Field and American Family Field returned to full capacity.
The Brewers ended in disappointing fashion, though it was a season with several highlights, including a walk-off grand slam by first baseman Daniel Vogelbach and two playoff home runs from fellow first baseman Rowdy Tellez.
There was also cause for Brewers concern, however, with major offensive dropoffs from Keston Hiura and Christian Yelich, and a late-preseason signing, Jackie Bradley Jr., had a borderline historically rough offensive season. Reliever Devin Williams, who continued to pitch lights out after last year's Rookie of the Year season, broke his hand punching a wall late in the season and missed the playoffs.
Jrue Holiday signed a long-term extension to remain with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Johnny Davis took a star turn as a sophomore to power a surprising UW men's basketball team early in the 2021-22 season.
A recorded conversation between members of the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team and head coach Greg Gard suggested some turmoil within the program, and tied into assistant coach Alando Tucker trying to take over the program. Despite the strife, the Badgers knocked off North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, followed by a loss to eventual national champion Baylor.
JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Top Wisconsin sports stories in 2021: Bucks champions, Aaron Rodgers
