The Bucks new owners are still learning something about handling things with class.
The Bucks’ former owner, Herb Kohl, has the classy part down cold.
Kohl is on his way out the door after owning the team for 29 years (selling the team for a cool $550 million), and in pure basketball terms it wasn’t the best nearly three decades — eight playoff trips in the last 23 years, no Finals. However, he handled himself with dignity through all of it. And that continues as he nears stepping down (the other owners just have to approve the sale, something expected soon).
As a parting thank you to long-time Bucks employees, Kohl gave out generous checks. I mean really generous. Gery Woelfel has the details at the Journal Times (hat tip to Ball Don’t Lie).You may have read where Kohl gave gifts of $500 to employees at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, where the Bucks played their home games.
What you haven’t read, though, is that Kohl’s generosity extended much further. He also bestowed significant financial gifts to others in the organization, from secretaries to sales personnel to basketball operations officials. The amount Kohl gave those employees varied and was based on different criterion, not the least of which was longevity with the organization.
Some Bucks employees received $40,000 while others received nearly $100,000. And there were even some individuals who were given checks that one person close to the situation described as “life changing.”
We applaud you Kohl. Well done sir.
As a reminder, as part of selling the team Kohl set it up for the Bucks not to leave Milwaukee — if the new owners can’t get a new arena deal done, the league can buy back the team and re-sell it rather than let it be moved.