Giannis Antetokounmpo says he won’t be signing an extension with the Milwaukee Bucks when he becomes eligible next month until they show him their commitment to winning an NBA title.
Antetokounmpo, arguably the best player in the NBA right now, told The New York Times that he must feel comfortable with the direction of the franchise because, despite wanting to play for one franchise over his entire career, winning a championship trumps that goal.
“Winning a championship comes first. I don’t want to be 20 years on the same team and don’t win another championship,” Antetokounmpo, the two-time league MVP, said.
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Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) gestures after dunking the ball during the second half of Game 4 in a first-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Miami Heat, Monday, April 24, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
“I would not be the best version of myself if I don’t know that everybody’s on the same page, everybody’s going for a championship, everybody’s going to sacrifice time away from their family like I do. And if I don’t feel that, I’m not signing.”
Antetokounmpo said that “numbers-wise it doesn’t make sense” for him to sign an extension before the 2023-24 season. The Bucks can offer $173 million over three years beginning September 22.
But Anteotkounmpo, who is set to play in the third season of his five-year, $228 million supermax this year with a player option for the 2024-25 campaign, broke down what factors into what will compel him to sign that dotted line on a new extension.
BUCKS’ GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO GIVES RAW RESPONSE TO POSTGAME QUESTION: ‘THERE’S NO FAILURE IN SPORTS’
“At the end of the day, I feel like all my teammates know and the organization knows that I want to win a championship,” he said, via The Times. “As long as we’re on the same page with that, and you show me, and we go together to win a championship, I’m all for it. The moment I feel like, ‘Oh, yeah, we’re trying to rebuild’ . . . there will never be hard feelings with the Milwaukee Bucks.”
Behind the leadership of Antetokounmpo, the Bucks hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy during the 2021 season, where he was named Finals MVP. He’s also coming off his best season in terms of points averaged per game (31.1), while shooting 55.3% from the field with 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists averaged per game as well.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks, addresses the media after Round One Game Five of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 26, 2023, at the Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)
However, Antetokounmpo will be the first to tell you that none of that matters after they were upset in the first round of the NBA Playoffs by the Miami Heat. The Bucks were the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Milwaukee was quick to make sweeping changes, as head coach Mike Budenholzer was fired, making way for former Toronto Raptors assistant coach, Adrian Griffin, to take over the role.
The Bucks like what they have in place, though, as they were quick to bring back Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, two starting veterans who were set for free agency.
Antetokounmpo, who will turn 29 in December, is still in his prime and still gunning for NBA titles. The individual accolades are all secondary.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) sits on the bench after a 128-126 loss to the Miami Heat during game five of the 2023 NBA Playoffs at Fiserv Forum. (Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports)
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So, if the Bucks will have to sell him they are continuing their championship run. If they don’t, it appears “The Greek Freak” isn’t afraid to try his luck elsewhere.
