The status of Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has been highly debated over the course of his career, and ESPN’s Shams Charania added a new wrinkle to the discourse.
In an in-depth piece, Charania discussed why Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee isn’t so much a sure thing, and that if all doesn’t work out, he may be looking elsewhere.
Charania wrote that Antetokounmpo has made it abundantly clear that he wants a second championship and that if it means moving onto a new team, so be it.
“Antetokounmpo has expressed publicly and privately over the past few years that he wants to win a second championship and that any failure to put the Bucks in a position to do so could lead him to look elsewhere.”
Last week, the nine-time All-Star was late in joining the team for training camp after dealing with COVID-19, and when he returned, he was intentional in the message he sent.
“I just want more. I want to win another championship. I want to win another medal for the national team. Legacy is very important for me. … You got to play to win. I don’t play to be around and get paid.”
Earlier in Charania’s piece, he wrote that over the summer, Antetokounmpo and his agent Alex Saratsis, as well as his U.S. representatives, started fielding interest around the league should he ever decide that he wanted a change of scenery.
“Several teams were discussed internally, but one emerged as the only place Antetokounmpo wanted to play outside of Milwaukee: the New York Knicks, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation told ESPN.”
Whether it be from media personalities, fan pressure, pressure from other players, etc. Antetokounmpo has continued to express his commitment to Milwaukee.
And then when he won the elusive NBA Championship with the Bucks in 2021, it all but seemed like he was going to retire a Buck.
But the chatter never ended, and since the Bucks came away with the title, Milwaukee’s playoff success has continued to wither away.
In fact, it’s been a tumultuous relationship since then.
Milwaukee fired coach Mike Budenholzer two seasons after it captured the title, getting eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and the next season in the first round of the playoffs.
As his replacement, the team hired Adrian Griffin, who started the season with a 30-13 record, only for him to later be fired and hire Doc Rivers as the coach.
Rivers continues to be the team’s coach, but in one and a half seasons, the results have been less than stellar, including going 17-19 to finish the season when he replaced Griffin.
For now, Antetokounmpo is a Buck, but the forbidden door has been opened, and the clock may be ticking in Milwaukee.
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