Former United States Senator Herb Kohl, who owned the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks for nearly 30 years, passed away on Wednesday
Herbery H. Kohl, who served in the United States Senate from 1989 to 2013 and owned the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks for almost 30 years, died on Wednesday at his home after battling a short illness. He was 88 years old.
Herb Kohl Was A Statesman And A Sportsman
Kohl was recognized as the wealthiest person in the city of Milwaukee. In 2016, Forbes estimated Kohl’s net worth to be around $630 million to $1.5 billion.
He bought the Bucks franchise in 1985 for $18 million and got a great investment out of it. Herb Kohl would later sell the Bucks to fellow billionaires Wes Edens and Marc Lasry for $550 million in 2014. (He almost sold the team before that – to the legendary Michael Jordan, nonetheless – in 2003).
Herb Kohl was never able to bring a championship to the city of Milwaukee, but he was invited to take part in the parade when the Bucks won the NBA Finals in 2021. He sat in the lead car, and he celebrated along with a franchise that was ‘his team’ for so long. Kohl was also given a championship ring from the Bucks.
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Excited As An Owner
An avid sports fan, Kohl was honored with an induction into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007, and he always relished representing the city of Milwaukee in the NBA.
“I am pleased, happy, and delighted,” Herb Kohl stated when he purchased the team in 1985. “The Milwaukee Bucks are in Milwaukee, and they are going to stay in Milwaukee.”
“The opportunity I was given to purchase and to keep the team here in Milwaukee is one of the most unique and fortunate experiences I’ve ever enjoyed.”
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