Milwaukee mayor sends gift to ESPN ‘First Take’ with Bucks in playoffs

Ensuring to flash that glowing Bucks championship ring on his hand, new Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson ready a taped message and a few delectable present baskets for ESPN’s “First Take” because the 2022 NBA playoffs start.

His purpose: To ensure the commentators — particularly Stephen A. Smith, Molly Qerim and Kendrick Perkins — keep away from the “horrible metropolis” discourse of 2021, after they intimated they’d be averse to visiting Milwaukee if the Bucks made it to the NBA Finals. 

“You do not know what you are lacking,” Johnson mentioned within the taped video for “First Take” that aired Monday. “Stephen A, Molly, Kendrick, you had some harsh phrases about my metropolis final yr, and also you had been incorrect about Milwaukee.

“You noticed the massive crowds in entrance of Fiserv Discussion board throughout the NBA finals. Milwaukee is an enthusiastic sports activities city. We are also a metropolis with fantastic high quality of life, a ravishing lakefront, nice eating places and museums. We’re a metropolis that likes to rejoice. We’ll rejoice virtually something in Milwaukee, so deliver First Take to Milwaukee, and we’ll rejoice that, too. Bucks in Six. Go Milwaukee Bucks.”

In equity, it was Damien Woody and never Kendrick Perkins who was a part of the present final yr when each Milwaukee and Phoenix had been lumped in with the label. Smith wound up touring to Milwaukee anyway when the Bucks made the Finals.

Extra:So what if ESPN hosts assume Milwaukee is ‘horrible’? These are all of the issues we love about it.

Johnson sweetened the pot with present baskets that included an assortment of Wisconsin delicacies, like cheese and sausage.

Smith appeared unimpressed however did clarify himself.

“In all seriousness, we did not discuss concerning the metropolis of Milwaukee in that manner,” he mentioned. “Dammit, it was chilly. I do not just like the chilly. I do not like the very fact your room service closed at 7 p.m. I am totally conscious that you’ve got good eating places … considered one of my greatest mates on the earth is a man by the identify of Garry D. Howard, who was the previous govt sports activities editor for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for greater than a decade.”

That is proper, a Journal Sentinel shout out!

“It is a fantastic metropolis, nice fan base, nice eating places, nice individuals and you’ve got a fantastic celebrity in Giannis Antetokounmpo who personifies all the pieces we would like our superstars to be on and off the courtroom. It is simply too rattling chilly a lot of the yr, and I am not apologizing for that.”

We, uh, will not inform Stephen A. that it was snowing earlier Monday. In the midst of April.

Smith additionally mentioned he did not love the recent canine he had at Fiserv Discussion board. Perkins mentioned the gateway to his coronary heart was certainly meals.

Among the many objects within the basket: Indulgence Chocolatiers chocolate bars, Lush Popcorn, Klement’s bratwursts and four-cheese smoked sausage, Klement’s unique summer season sausage, World Milwaukee coasters, Properly Advised rock glasses, Collectivo espresso luggage, Sargento cheddar and mozzarella, two bottles of Door Peninsula wine from Sturgeon Bay, present certificates to the MECCA Sports activities Bar and Grill and The Cluckery, Milwaukee tote luggage and Bucks merchandise from the Bucks Professional Store.

The Bucks teamed up with Johnson and Go to Milwaukee to craft the message.

Extra:A information to downtown Milwaukee eating places and bars round Fiserv Discussion board and the Deer District

JR Radcliffe will be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Comply with him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.