To paraphrase a great man, the Milwaukee Bucks have a pretty nice little Saturday planned.
The marquee event of the day is tied to the biggest sports news on the planet that shook up the NBA (and shook Jimmy Butler) on Wednesday. Seemingly out of nowhere, the franchise swooped in to acquire All-Star, All-NBA selection Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers, sending Jrue Holiday and a 2029 first-round draft pick to the Northwest and Grayson Allen to the Phoenix Suns.
When you pull off a deal like that, the logical next step is to throw a party. So that’s what the Bucks are doing Saturday afternoon at a welcome rally for their latest roster addition.
The hoopla will be held on the plaza at Fiserv Forum, with fans encouraged to arrive at 2 p.m. The team has lined up music and other entertainment, food and beverages will be available on the plaza, and various establishments around the Deer District will also have munchables and drinkables on offer.
For those interested in getting their hands on Lillard’s jersey, limited quantities will be available at the Bucks Pro Shop inside Fiserv Forum. If you’re out of luck there, the team also says to look for it at Bayshore Mall’s Bucks Pro Shop or just jump online.
Speaking of the interwebs, Bucks Gaming has something less celebratory and much more competitive on tap for Saturday. They’re teaming up with Milwaukee Esports Alliance, as well as Wisconsin-based esports tourney organizers Wisconsin Smash and Magik4 FGC to host the very first Cream City Convergence esports tournament at Baird Center.
According to a release from the team, this is the first large-scale regional event of its kind run by an NBA franchise. Attendees are coming in from across the country, including some highly ranked competitors, to duke it out in four fighting games: Super Smash Bros Melee, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Street Fighter 6 and Guilty Gear – Strive. On top of that, there will be side tournaments for Mortal Kombat 1, Tekken 7, Project + and Lethal League Blaze.
As of this writing, registration is still open if you’re interested in participating, but there’s also the option to just go as a spectator and watch some highly skilled gamers virtually beat the snot out of each other. For more information and to register either as a competitor or a spectator, visit the event webpage.
