Before the Giannis Antetokounmpo era, being a Milwaukee Bucks fan came with its fair share of disappointments, a struggle that Kon Knueppel knew too well. As the team struggled in the early 2010s, he was feeling those frustrations too.
So, when the Bucks found themselves out of playoff contention, Knueppel turned to another team to support during that period: the Miami Heat superteam led by LeBron James .
" I think the LeBron Heat years like I was a little bit of a bandwagon," he said on "The Old Man and The Three" podcast.
For the Charlotte Hornets forward, however, his Heat fandom solely stemmed from his admiration for Ray Allen .
In the first seven years of his career, Allen first suited up for the Bucks. The shooting guard then went on to play in Seattle before going to Boston, where he won his first NBA title. In these 16 years, he also built a solid individual resume with 10 All-Star selections and two All-NBA nods.
Allen then signed with the Heat for the 2012-2013 season. However, his prime years were clearly over as he averaged 10.3 points and 2.8 rebounds off the bench during his two-year tenure. But that didn't matter for the former Duke star.
With the Bucks either missing the playoffs or failing to advance to the first round during this period, Knueppel decided to follow his favorite player and his team instead.
"If the Bucks were out, I would kind of jump on the Heat bandwagon because Ray Allen was my favorite player growing up," he said. "So, yeah, he was huge when he was on the Heat. I was like, all right, I'm in."
Knueppel's fandom for Allen and the Heat reached its peak during their Finals matchup against the San Antonio Spurs in 2013. After trading blows in the first two games, their hopes of a two-peat were in jeopardy when the Spurs took a 3-2 series lead in Game 5.
Those hopes continued to fade in Game 6 as they entered the fourth quarter trailing by double digits. Knueppel still remembered the heartbreak of watching the game unfold.
"My dad was like, all right, you know, it's time to go to bed," he said. "The Heat were down by like 15, and I was, like, devastated."
Then, the Heat flipped a switch in the quarter, with LeBron leading the way. He scored 16 points on 11 shot attempts, one of which was the missed 3-pointer that led to Allen's iconic game-tying triple that forced overtime. The Heat won in OT and took Game 7 and the NBA title.
"That's probably why it was the greatest playoff run," Knueppel said. "Because I remember I'm cheering for the Heat. I don't want the Spurs to win, and, well, that's Game 6."
At the end of the day, however, Knueppel will always be a Bucks fan at heart. He followed the franchise during its worst years .
Although the Bucks eventually found success after drafting Greek superstar Antetokounmpo, who led them to their first title, the 21-year-old will never forget the memories of struggling with his home team, hoping for better days.
"I kind of remember more of the Bucks games," he said . " So the tickets were like five bucks. I just remember we went to more games when they were really bad and then they got good when Giannis came along."
Now, Allen is nine years removed from retirement, Giannis is with the Heat and James is with the 76ers. Knueppel's days of rooting for other teams are over. His focus is on helping the Hornets win and build a legacy of his own in Charlotte.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Oct 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
