Editing Milwaukee Bucks (section)

===1976–1979: Post-Abdul-Jabbar era; "Green 'n Growing"===
After the deal, the Bucks had several seasons in transition, but most of these players would go on to help the team. After being sold to Fitzgerald and several partners in 1976, the Bucks would enter into another era of greatness. It began with [[Don Nelson]] who became head coach in November 1976 after [[Larry Costello]] abruptly resigned. In the 1977 draft, the Bucks had three first-round picks and drafted [[Kent Benson]], [[Marques Johnson]] and [[Ernie Grunfeld]]. Johnson would become a staple in the Bucks for years to come. Rookie [[Sidney Moncrief]] made his debut in 1979. Don Nelson went on to win two [[NBA Coach of the Year]] awards with the Bucks, both during seasons where the team won division titles, in 1983 and 1985.

On October 18, 1977, Abdul-Jabbar, playing with the Lakers, punched Benson during a game. Abdul-Jabbar broke his hand in the process.<ref>{{cite web|title=Walton Injury Opens Door for Bullets|url=http://www.nba.com/history/season/19771978.html|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|website=NBA.com|access-date=June 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090314045723/http://www.nba.com/history/season/19771978.html|archive-date=March 14, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> Benson had been aggressive under the boards and Abdul-Jabbar, a [[martial arts]] [[blackbelt (martial arts)|blackbelt]], snapped. Abdul-Jabbar was fined $5,000 by the NBA and missed the next 20 games. Meanwhile, Benson never played as aggressively again and the Bucks traded him to the [[Detroit Pistons]] in 1980 for veteran center [[Bob Lanier]] to fill in the hole left by the departure of Abdul-Jabbar. They then won the [[Midwest Division (NBA)|Midwest Division]] title in 1980. After losing to Seattle in the semi-finals, the Bucks moved to the [[Eastern Conference (NBA)|Eastern Conference]]'s [[Central Division (NBA)|Central Division]].