Former Bucks owner and U.S. senator Herb Kohl dies at 88 - ESPN

MILWAUKEE — Herb Kohl, a former Democratic U.S. senator from Wisconsin and former owner of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks, has died. He was 88.

His death Wednesday was announced by Herb Kohl Philanthropies, which did not give a cause but said he died after a brief illness.

Kohl was a popular figure in Wisconsin, purchasing the Bucks in 1985 for $18 million to keep them from leaving town, and spending generously from his fortune on civic and educational causes throughout the state.

«Senator Kohl was a dear friend and one of our very best public servants,» NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. «In addition to his decades of devoted service in the U.S. Senate, he set the standard for NBA team ownership as the governor of his hometown Milwaukee Bucks for nearly 30 years.

»Through his purchase of the team, Senator Kohl ensured that the Bucks would stay in Milwaukee and remain an important pillar of the community. There was never any doubt about his extraordinary commitment to the franchise and city that he loved, and his vision and unparalleled financial contribution towards a new arena in Milwaukee will forever be remembered.… He will be deeply missed by his NBA family."

Kohl was one of the richest members of the Senate and the Senate's only professional sports team owner.

«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,» Kohl once said about purchasing the Bucks.

The small-market team was in the middle of its sixth straight winning season when Kohl bought it, and the Bucks went on to post winning records in his first six full seasons as owner. After stumbling through most of the 1990s, the team improved in the late