Bucks celebrate men and women of armed forces with Hoops for Troops Week

MILWAUKEE --The Milwaukee Bucks are celebrating the men and women of our nation’s armed forces with Hoops for Troops Week presented by We Energies.

To recognize active service members and veterans, Hoops for Troops Week will provide veterans and current service members in the community with opportunities to interact with Bucks players and staff, before culminating with Thursday’s home game against the Chicago Bulls.

According to a press release, Hoops for Troops Week will tip-off on Wednesday when Bucks guard Wesley Matthews and FOX Sports Wisconsin analyst Steve Novak host a dinner for veterans who are currently enrolled in compensated work therapy at a transitional residence located on the Clement J. Zablock VA Medical Center campus in Milwaukee. Wednesday’s dinner will be held at the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Sports Science Center (F&MCW Sports Science Center).

On Thursday, the Bucks will welcome Wisconsin veterans who took part in this year’s Stars and Stripes Honor Flight and active service members to their shootaround at the F&MCW Sports Science Center. Later that day, Hoops for Troops Week will conclude with the Bucks’ matchup against the Chicago Bulls at 7 p.m. All veterans and active service members who took part in the week’s various activities will get to attend Thursday’s game.

The first 10,000 fans through Fiserv Forum’s doors on Thursday will receive a Camo Bucks Beanie courtesy of We Energies. Additionally, 25 percent of the proceeds from that night’s 50/50 raffle will be donated to Jack Daniel’s Operation Ride Home, which assists junior-enlisted service members and their families with their travels back home for the holidays.

The game will also feature in-game video and photo spotlights, the “Star Spangled Banner” performed by St. John’s Military Academy choir with an American flag held by more than 60 service members, a pregame Oath of Enlistment ceremony for 30 individuals, an American flag hung between two Milwaukee Fire Department trucks outside Fiserv Forum, and a special halftime performance by the 484th Army Band.

The press release indicates the Bucks Pro Shop will also be selling gear from the NBA’s Hoops for Troops collection, in addition to apparel from ‘47 Brand’s Operation Hat Trick collection, where proceeds are donated to organizations that support wounded service members and veterans. Veterans and active military personnel can save 10 percent on their purchases year-round with a valid military ID at the Bucks Pro Shop located inside Fiserv Forum.