Bucks Ink Andrew Bogut To Multi-Year Contract

July 1, 2005 - The Milwaukee Bucks signed Andrew Bogut to a multi-year contract, General Manager Larry Harris announced today. Bogut (7-1, 255-lbs), the first overall pick in the June 28th NBA Draft, will participate in the Bucks summer camp workouts (July 11-14) and the team’s play in the Minnesota Summer League (July 15-19).

“We’re very excited to sign Andrew as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks,” said Harris. “This is the first step in what we see as a long and promising career for him with the Bucks. In the short time Andrew’s been in Milwaukee, he has been embraced by our great fans throughout the city. And as they will come to know, Andrew will show them his appreciation through his tremendous work ethic and terrific play.

“In addition to welcoming Andrew, we’d be remiss in not thanking his representative, David Bauman, for his support and assistance during this process,” Harris added.

Bogut, 20, was named the consensus National Player of the Year in 2004-05 out of the University of Utah. As a sophomore, he was named First Team All-America by the Associated Press, leading the nation with 26 double-doubles. He ranked 19th in the NCAA in scoring (20.4 ppg) and 2nd in rebounding (12.2 rpg) in 35 starts for the Utes.

“This is a dream come true for me,” said Bogut. “I’ve worked extremely hard to get to this point and I’m honored to be a member of the Milwaukee Bucks organization. I’d like to thank my family for all their support, Senator Kohl and Larry Harris for the exciting opportunity and the great fans of Milwaukee for the enthusiastic reception I’ve received. I look forward to a successful NBA career with the Bucks.”

Bogut led Utah to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last season and won the Wooden, Naismith, Associated Press, United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Player of the Year Awards.

Internationally, Bogut was a starter for the 2004 Australian Olympic Team in Greece where he averaged 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds in five games. He was named Most Valuable Player of the 2003 FIBA Junior World Championships in Greece, leading Australia to the title by averaging 26.3 points, 17.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists over eight games.

Born in Australia of Croatian decent, Bogut has formed the “Andrew Bogut 4 Foundation”, dedicated to reaching out to underprivileged youths struggling through difficult circumstances in four places close to his heart - Australia, Croatia, Utah and Milwaukee.