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Bucks Longtime Official Scorer Passes Away at 92

Originally posted on Milwaukee Bucks on SI
By Matt Levine | Last updated Jun 13, 2025 11:03 AM ET

The Milwaukee Bucks' longtime official scorer, Bob Wanek, has passed away at the age of 92. Wanek has been with the Bucks since day one, well over 50 years.

After learning about his passing, the Bucks released a statement on Wanek.

"The Milwaukee Bucks are saddened by the passing of long-time official scorer and crew chief Bob Wanek. Bob was a mainstay in his table scorer's seat at Bucks games at the Milwaukee Arena, Bradley Center, and Fiserv Forum for more than 50 years. He befriended countless players, coaches, officials, broadcasters, and stuff during his extrodinary tenure, and always did so with a smile.

"Bob took great pride in his meticulous score-keeping and in-depth knowledge of the NBA rule book. He considered the Bucks as his second family.

"The Bucks will always appreciate Bob for his long dedication to the organization. Our deepest condolenses go out to his family, friends, and fellow stats crew members."

We are saddened by the passing of long-time official scorer and crew chief Bob Wanek. pic.twitter.com/xyneKZgZVu
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) June 13, 2025

Wanek saw pretty much every version of the Bucks, and simply just loved the team. The former scorer used to play basketball, but transitioned to something different following an injury.

"I started out when I was a freshman in high school," Wanek s aid. "And I was out for basketball. And a week before Christmas? I got blood poisoning in my foot. And it traveled up my leg. And the coach well, you can't play for a couple weeks. You wanna be a manager? And I said what does a manager do? And he says well you throw out the basketballs before the game. Collect the basketballs after the game. Make sure ten went out and ten came back. And then you score."

Wanek loved basketball, but appreciated all the players. He said that Oscar Robertson was the best player that he had seen play.

"Oscar Robertson who I still feel is the best player in basketball that I've ever seen," Wanek said. "I mean he had the knack of knowing on defense if somebody had the ball with him at center court. That guy could run around in circles, and go left and right and so forth? But Oscar would take the shortest route and meet him down closest to the basket before he would get a shot off."

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This article first appeared on Milwaukee Bucks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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