Middleton leaves a legacy as a player and a person.
James Khristian Middleton arrived in Milwaukee as an afterthought.
Today, he left Milwaukee as a legend.
Included alongside Brandon Knight and someone called Viacheslav Kravtsov in a trade that sent Brandon Jennings to Detroit, Khris began his second season in the Association as a Buck. That the trade would come to be known as the Khris Middleton trade epitomizes his transformation from afterthought to star.
His star began to shine bright on the better side of Lake Michigan. His second season with the Bucks was highlighted by banking in a game-winner, a harbinger of good things to come:
It was the first of several, including this classic on a save from Zaza Pachulia:
In parallel with the Bucks as a whole, Khris developed. He received his first All-Star selection in 2019 and his second in 2020, when he scored 51 points against… the Wizards. The following year, he put on an absolute masterclass as the Bucks won their first championship in 50 years. He essentially won a game per series single-handedly: Game 1 against the Heat (capped off by another game-winner), Game 6 against the Nets, Game 3 against the Hawks (when he went absolutely NUCLEAR, scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter), and Game 4 against the Suns.
Here he is against the Heat:
And against the Hawks (in my opinion, his most impressive performance as a Buck):
There were doubts about Giannis as the leading man, but there might have been more doubts about Khris as the second fiddle. He silenced those doubts and then some, ensuring his place in the Bucks pantheon.
He was selected as an All-Star again the following season, and it’s hard to argue that his absence was not responsible for the Bucks falling to the Celtics in seven. The following years were somewhat marred by injuries, but he never failed to show up for the playoffs (unlike many of his teammates). Most notable was his herculean effort to nearly swipe Game 3 from the Pacers last season:
Last but arguably most importantly, Khris appeared to be the consummate professional and person. As fans, we only saw a glimpse of who he was, but that glimpse was golden. On the court, he was widely respected by his peers, and his game was largely free of the theatrics that mark many players around the league. Off the court, he was deeply embedded in the greater Milwaukee community, with the 12 Days of Khrismas bringing a variety of resources to people in need.
In the NBA today, hardware is everything. Khris will be remembered as one of the best to don the Bucks jersey for his contributions to Milwaukee’s hardware. But for me and many others, hardware isn’t everything. To follow a team day in and day out, you become invested in more than the results; you become invested in the guys getting those results. Khris made Bucks fandom a joy not only by winning, but in being a guy who I wanted to win. A guy who could throw an alley-oop to Giannis and be in his wedding party.
And so, for everything: thank you, Khris.