NBA, Pacers to dedicate a statue for Bucks great Oscar Robertson

Behind The Big-O’s Indianapolis statue

The designing and crafting of the statue is projected to take a year to complete. Once it's finally finished, it'll be displayed in front of the Crispus Attucks High School, and a ceremony will first be conducted for its official unveiling.

The statue will depict a figure of Oscar wearing an NBA All-Star jersey atop a basketball-based shape similar to the actual 1955 Crispus Attucks State Championship Trophy. Meanwhile, the metal for the bronze piece will be made by Casting Art & Technology in Cincinnati, the place where his great collegiate and professional career started.

Before he even transformed himself into an all-time great, Robertson initially made some noise as an Indiana basketball legend in Crispus Attucks. A member of the first all-Black team in the country to win a state championship, he led the Tigers to a back-to-back title romp in the IHSAA state championship from 1955 to 1956. In their second successful run, he was named Indiana Mr. Basketball, and the team was the first in state history to finish undefeated by tallying a 31-0 record throughout the competition.

“Oscar Robertson’s legendary basketball journey began in Indianapolis where he led Crispus Attucks High School to the first state championship in the country won by an all-Black team,” said Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner. “We are thrilled to join the Pacers in commissioning a statue in recognition of Oscar’s extraordinary impact on the game and his hometown.”

Remembering Oscar as a Buck

For four seasons of play as a Buck, The Big-O cemented himself as a Milwaukee legend and a bona fide winner of the sport.

Oscar's arrival in 1970 instantly catapulted the Bucks into a championship heavyweight. With him forming a superstar tandem with the young Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), they charged Milwaukee to a historic 66-win season and its first NBA championship in 1970-71.

Robertson further aided Milwaukee's contending status in the next three years until his retirement. A two-time All-Star and a member of the 1971 All-NBA Second Team during his time with the franchise, the Bucks retired his jersey No. 1 up in the rafters in 1974.