“I’m a Milwaukee Buck, but most importantly I’m a winner… If there is a better situation for me to win the Larry O’Brien I have to take that better situation.”
There’s nothing new here, and Antetokounmpo is not pushing his way out the door. The Bucks will be one of the clear title contenders heading into this season (and likely the next one). Milwaukee fans can exhale (as much as fans of any team with a superstar player can ever exhale).
https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/antetokounmpo-looking-for-his-next-challenge-that-may-not-be-with-bucksHowever, we need to admire Antetokounmpo’s honesty. He could have just said the perfunctory “I want to be a Buck the rest of my life” line and not meant it like so many other superstars. We should appreciate his understanding that three years from now is almost another lifetime in the NBA considering the speed of change, and who knows what the landscape of the league will look like. When he can be a free agent in 2025 the NBA will be different, and while the Bucks can offer the Greek Freak more money than any other team, the sums will be so astronomical (his 2025-26 player option is for $51.9 million) that the dollars lost to change teams won’t really impact the decision.
https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2020/12/16/bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo-discusses-supermax-contract-extension/3922281001/On whether he considered a different market:
(with a smile) What you expect me to say, "I thought about it, I was about to leave and go to ...?" I can't say a team now because (people with think) it's happening. Go to Seattle, the SuperSonics, that's what you expect me to say. There was obviously thought behind it, but I wanted to be here. I want to be here, want to help my teammates, help this organization to win a championship. I want my teammates and organization to help me win a championship, it goes both ways. I tried to keep it away. It puts a lot of pressure on athletes and it gave me a headache all summer, people asking me and people talking about me. I just wanted to be left alone. I knew what I wanted in my head, the goal is to win a championship, and I know here we have a chance to win a championship.
How did the offseason moves impact his decision:
"I was always leaning in this direction. I just wanted the team to improve and be better, and the team got better. We have great players ready to compete, great human beings, great fits for our culture. But I wanted to be here and I'm here."
