Bucks Shift Tip-Off to 3 PM So Players Can Watch World Series
Milwaukee shifted its Friday tip-off against the Bulls to avoid conflicting with the Brewers' first World Series home game since 1982.
The Milwaukee Bucks moved their NBA home opener from 7 p.m. to 3 p.m. local time on Friday, according to a team statement, clearing the evening schedule so players can attend Game 1 of the World Series at American Family Field.
Forward Kyle Kuzma told reporters the entire roster plans to make the trip to the ballpark after playing the Chicago Bulls at Fiserv Forum. The logistics are tight. Milwaukee flies to Philadelphia that same night for a Saturday game against the 76ers. Kuzma said the team expects to catch part of the baseball game before heading to the airport.
Scheduling around another franchise’s championship run is rare in professional sports, where arena availability and broadcast contracts typically dictate start times. The decision highlights how deeply the Brewers’ postseason run has penetrated the city’s sports infrastructure. Milwaukee last hosted a World Series game more than four decades ago.
The Brewers advanced by sweeping the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. They will face the Tampa Bay Rays, who eliminated the Cleveland Guardians with a 7-3 victory in Game 6 of the ALCS on Monday to win that series 4-2. Neither franchise has won a championship. The Brewers lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games in 1982. The Rays fell short in 2008 and 2020.
Game 1 is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on Friday. Game 2 follows on Saturday at the same venue.
For the Bucks, the compressed timeline adds to an already demanding opening week. The team begins its regular season on Wednesday against the Washington Wizards in D.C. before returning home for the early afternoon tip-off against Chicago.
