Damian Lillard adds to the great debuts in Wisconsin sports history

With the start of the 2023-24 basketball season, the Milwaukee Bucks moved into the time zone that recognizes Dame Time.

Damian Lillard's 39 points marked the most ever in a Milwaukee Bucks player making his debut, sparking his team to a one-point win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Thursday's season opener. If the buzz around Lillard's acquisition in September wasn't already at fever pitch, it is now.

Is it the best debut for a Wisconsin sports figure ever? It's debatable, but it's surely on the list. These are some of the most memorable debut performances in Wisconsin sports history.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Oct. 18, 1969)

"I don't care too much for my play."

Such frank assessments would become commonplace for Milwaukee Bucks fans, but there was nothing casually dismissed by the first game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for the Milwaukee Bucks. Then known as Lew Alcindor, the nationally famous big man scored 29 points with 12 rebounds and six assists, plus three steals, playing all 48 minutes and shooting 12-of-27 from the field.

ABC cameras were there to capture the occasion when Abdul-Jabbar made his NBA debut, and 7,782 fans were in attendance at the Arena to watch the Bucks beat the Pistons, 119-110.

Chuck Carr (April 2, 1996)

Before he became famous for insisting that "Chuckie hacks on 2-0," the Milwaukee Brewers' Carr had an incredible debut, going 4-for-5 with three runs scored, three RBIs, a double, homer and walk. Then again, everyone in the starting lineup had at least one hit (and only one player had less than two) in a 15-9 shellacking of the California Angels. The four hits matches Carlos Gómez (2010) for the most in a Brewers debut.

Randall Cobb (Sept. 8, 2011)

With the Green Bay Packers coming off a Super Bowl win and facing New Orleans in a nationally televised Thursday night season opener, it was a newcomer who stole the show.

Cobb only caught two passes for 35 yards, but one was for a touchdown. He also set an NFL record with a 108-yard kickoff return, the electrifying highlight everyone remembers from the tense 42-34 win that came down to the final snap.

Mason Crosby (Sept. 9, 2007)

The rookie kicker out of Colorado made field goals of 53 yards, 37 yards and 42 yards, the latter as time expired to give the Green Bay Packers a 16-13 win over Philadelphia. It was the beginning of a long career for Crosby, who (presumably?) served as the kicker for every Packers game through the 2022 season.

Terry Cummings (Oct. 27, 1984)

Cummings had been acquired in a blockbuster just before the 1984 season, sent from the Clippers with Craig Hodges and Ricky Pierce in exchange for Bucks staples Marques Johnson and Junior Bridgeman, plus Harvey Catchings and cash. Just 23 years old, Cummings scored 34 points with 10 rebounds and four assists in a 108-106 win over Chicago. Cummings scored his team's final 10 points and 16 of his team's final 18, including two free throws with 7 seconds left to clinch the win. Rookie Michael Jordan had tied the game at 106 with 25 seconds left in his second-ever game; he debuted one night earlier against Washington. Cummings' 34 points stood as the franchise record in a Bucks debut before Lillard.

Rollie Fingers (April 11, 1981)

It's not the way the future Hall of Famer would have chosen to start his career with Milwaukee, but he got the job done. Acquired in a blockbuster trade in late 1980, Ringers strolled to the mound in a Brewers uniform with more than 71,000 Cleveland fans in attendance on Opening Day. Fingers arrived in the eighth inning and loaded the bases before inducing a double play off the bat of Ron Hassey, and then he worked a 1-2-3 ninth to secure the save.

TJ Ford (Oct. 31, 2003)

The Milwaukee Bucks first-round draft pick didn't play in his team's opener but he started and played 35 minutes against Indiana in Game No. 2, and he registered 11 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and two steals in a 93-79 win, shooting 5-of-7 from the floor.

Sal Frelick (July 22, 2023)

Frelick recorded his first three big-league hits in as many official at-bats, delivered a game-tying hit and a go-ahead sacrifice fly and made two outstanding catches on the warning track in right field as the Brewers beat the Atlanta Braves, the best team in the National League that season.

John Jefferson (Sept. 27, 1981)

The two-time All-Pro receiver had been unhappy in San Diego, so the Packers swung a late-September trade to bring him in and pair him with future Hall of Famer James Lofton. Jefferson hit the ground running, hauling in seven passes for 121 yards despite just two days practice; he remains the only receiver to clear 100 yards in his Packers debut. The downside: the Packers lost the game handily.

Geoff Jenkins (April 24, 1998)

Playing at 3Com Park in San Francisco, 90 miles from his hometown, Jenkins singled in his first at-bat against Orel Hershiser, then homered to give his team a 6-4 lead in the fifth. He finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and is still the only Brewers player to homer in his Major League debut. Today, he's in the Brewers Walk of Fame.

Brandon Jennings (Oct. 30, 2009)

Most everyone remembers Game 7 for Jennings, when he scored 55 points against the Golden State Warriors, but he was pretty good against the 76ers in his first game, too, finishing with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, going 7-of-16 from the field.

Marques Johnson (Oct. 18, 1977)

The third pick in the draft scored 21 points and helped the Bucks beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 117-110, with 12 rebounds, two assists and two steals (plus 10-of-17 shooting). Of course, the thing most people remember from the game was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar throwing a punch to the face of Kent Benson, the No. 1 pick in the draft that season, just two minutes into the game after Abdul-Jabbar took a shot to the midsection. Abdul-Jabbar ultimately took the worst of it, missing two months with a broken hand.

Taylor Jungmann (June 9, 2015)

The former first-round pick didn't ultimately stay long in the big leagues, but he sparkled brightly in his first outing against Pittsburgh. He threw seven innings and allowed just one run on three hits in a 4-1 win, striking out five along the way.

Mike McKenzie (Sept. 12, 1999)

McKenzie had nine tackles and an interception in the end zone to help the Packers hold on against Oakland, 28-24.

Freddy Peralta (May 13, 2018)

Here's one most everyone remembers. Pitching in Colorado in front of his family for the first time — they expected to see him at Class AAA in Colorado Springs but wound up making the trip to Denver instead — Peralta was amazing on Mother's Day. He didn't allow a hit until the sixth and worked 5⅔ innings, striking out a staggering 13 batters while allowing just the one hit, with two walks.

CC Sabathia (July 8, 2008)

As with Lillard, Sabathia's debut was already teeming with hype when the Brewers made the bold stroke of acquiring the left-handed pitcher from Cleveland. Sabathia wasn't his sharpest, though he did allow two runs in six innings and set the Brewers up for a win over the Colorado Rockies, kickstarting an unforgettable run to the postseason.

Chris Saenz (April 24, 2004)

He worked six innings, allowing just two hits and three walks while striking out seven and keeping St. Louis off the board in a 3-1 Brewers win. But what makes the shutout debut so memorable is that it turned into his one and only career big-league appearance. He returned to Class AA after the start and spent the rest of the year there, and injuries short-circuited his climb back to the big leagues. His performance is still the only one since the 1940s in which a pitcher went six or more innings and allowed no runs but never appeared again in the big leagues.

Javon Walker (Sept. 8, 2002)

Walker caught all four passes thrown his way including an 18-yard reception in overtime that helped set up the Packers for a game-winning field goal over Atlanta for a 37-34 win. He finished with 56 yards receiving with a touchdown and also netted 63 return yards on three kickoffs.

Steve Woodard (July 28, 1997)

When you say "great Brewers debuts," there's a good chance Woodard comes to mind. In the first game of a doubleheader against Toronto, Woodard allowed a leadoff double and then no more hits for eight innings, out-dueling eventual Cy Young winner Roger Clements for a 1-0 win. He struck out 12 and walked just one.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Damian Lillard adds to the great debuts in Wisconsin sports history