One-season wonders: Milwaukee Bucks

We all have great memories of one-hit-wonder songs. Whether its Return of the Mack or Stacy’s Mom, the songs usually have an upbeat tune and take you back to when it first came out.

One-hit-wonders are not just for music, though, they also happen in basketball. The Milwaukee Bucks have had all sorts of players who had an effective single season with the team.

Here’s the best of the bunch:

Larry Sanders

Sanders never did host his own television talk show, but he did have an impressive season for the Bucks in 2013. The 6-foot-11 center played for Milwaukee for five seasons, but his 2012-13 campaign was by far his best as a pro. That season, Sanders averaged 9.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting 50.6%.

He parlayed those numbers into a four-year, $44 million contract extension, but was never the same and eventually walked away from the game because of personal issues.

Richard Jefferson

After spending the first seven years of his career with the New Jersey Nets, Jefferson was traded to Milwaukee and played for the Bucks during the 2008-09 season. He played in all 82 regular-season games for the Bucks that year and scored 19.6 points per game.

Gary Payton

The Glove came to Milwaukee in the trade that sent Ray Allen to the Seattle SuperSonics during the 2002-03 season. Payton only stayed with the Bucks for 28 games before leaving in free agency to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers. Still, Payton remained a productive player with the Bucks, averaging 19.6 points and 7.4 assists per game while shooting 46.6%.

JJ Redick

The former Duke basketball standout arrived in Milwaukee during the 2012-13 season after the Orlando Magic traded him, Gustavo Ayon and Ish Smith in exchange for Beno Udrih, Doron Lamb and Tobias Harris. Much like Payton, Redick also only played 28 games for the Bucks after coming to the team in a midseason trade. Redick shot 31.8% from 3-point land on the Bucks, which was the worst of his career but managed to score 12.3 points per game and shoot a career-best 91.8% from the free-throw line.

George Thompson

Thompson played for the Bucks in 1974-75 after three All-Star seasons in the ABA. It was actually a return to Milwaukee for Thompson, since he played college hoops at Marquette and held the men’s basketball all-time scoring record until it was recently broken by Markus Howard. He poured in 10.7 points per game during his one and only season with the Bucks.

Dell Curry

Before he was ever known as the father of Steph Curry, Dell Curry spent one season in Milwaukee. Curry came off the bench for the Bucks during the 1998-99 season and was the epitome of a solid NBA role player by scoring 10.1 points per game and shooting a career-best – and NBA leading — 47.6% from deep.

Swen Nater

Nater played for the Bucks in the 1976-77 season at age 27 after spending the first three years of his professional career in the ABA. Nater averaged a double-double with 13.0 points and 12.0 rebounds with Milwaukee.

Corey Maggette

Milwaukee acquired Maggette in a trade with the Golden State Warriors prior to the 2010-11 season. During his single year with the Bucks, Maggette averaged 12.0 points per game and shot 83.4% from the free-throw line.