Giannis Antetokounmpo enters the 2025-26 season with the weight of Milwaukee on his shoulders and the league watching his every move. After years of loyalty, dominant play, and one hard-earned championship in 2021, the Greek Freak finds himself at a crossroads. Not because he’s faltering, but because everything around him is.

Milwaukee is no longer what it once was. Damian Lillard is gone, while Brook Lopez, Jrue Holiday, Donte DiVincenzo, and even Khris Middleton have either declined or departed. Myles Turner is in, but skepticism is louder than confidence. Trade rumors are swirling, analysts are openly questioning the Bucks’ direction, and NBA insiders like Shams Charania report that Giannis is “evaluating” whether he can truly win another title in Wisconsin. Yet despite the storm brewing, Stephen A. Smith made one thing clear on Gil’s Arena: if Giannis decides to leave, this won’t be another LeBron moment.

Stephen A. doesn’t hesitate when the conversation turns to legacy and loyalty. The comparison with LeBron James is inevitable, but to Smith, it’s not even close. “I don’t have a problem with it because the organization would not have done what it’s supposed to do. But that’s when he gets knocked for it, depends,” Stephen A. said. “You got to remember, see, everybody says that like for example, LeBron left, he went to join Dwyane Wade and Bosh in Miami. So, there was a knock for that. Certainly not from me because the best four years I’ve had were when he was like, I had no problem with it whatsoever. Beautiful, beautiful thing for me. So, it was cool, right?”

LeBron was built for the spotlight from day one, beginning with his high school games, which were featured on ESPN. He had The Chosen One tattooed across his back and a city on his shoulders before he played a single NBA minute. His decision to take his talents to South Beach in 2010 was seismic. It turned a hometown hero into the league’s most polarizing figure overnight. That move was calculated and commercial. And in LeBron’s case, the criticism was about the how, not the why.

But for Giannis? He’s the opposite story. Every year since that historic 2021 run, Milwaukee’s foundation has crumbled more. They’ve exited the playoffs early three straight seasons. Even with Giannis putting up MVP-caliber numbers, the roster hasn’t kept pace.

Stephen A. Smith can’t blame Giannis

“I’m saying because he’s so phenomenal, if the last title he won was in 2021 and he’s never to win a title again, you’re gonna be like, ‘Damn, what happened?’ Because his talent warrants that,” Smith explained. Antetokounmpo has done everything right, stayed loyal, signed the supermax, didn’t chase co-stars in Miami or Los Angeles. He built from within, chose the hard path, and brought Milwaukee a title they hadn’t seen in 50 years. Khris Middleton’s knees gave out, Jrue Holiday was traded, Brook Lopez aged out of impact, and when the Bucks finally brought in Damian Lillard to help, he tore his Achilles. So the First Take host blames the organization.

Giannis chose Milwaukee, and Milwaukee gave him their hearts. But as the walls close in, the story is shifting. “But what I’m saying is that when you’re Giannis Antetokounmpo, as great and phenomenal as you are, although it’s through no fault of your own, it’s hard to imagine; you won a title in 2021, and other than that, you’ve been going home in the first round. That’s underachieving.” Smith compared it to Kevin Durant, but made it clear this is different, KD left a team he couldn’t beat to join them. That’s what got him criticized, not leaving, but who he joined and when. Giannis hasn’t done that. He stayed through the ups and downs, delivered the ring, and kept coming back. 

And for now, Giannis remains a Buck, he’s said as much publicly. But even that has its limits, and if the Bucks can’t get it together fast, the rest of the league is already circling. Because once he decides it’s time to go, no one, not even the loudest critics will blame him.