The biggest trade of the NBA offseason officially closed one of the longest-running partnerships and it did not wait long after the league’s moratorium lifted. The NBA’s moratorium period ended on July 6, and the Miami Heat officially completed the trade, making Giannis Antetokounmpo the newest member of the Heat, two weeks after the deal was first reported on June 22. It ended a 13-year journey that transformed both the Milwaukee Bucks and the city itself. But instead of celebrating a fresh start, Giannis and his wife, Mariah Antetokounmpo, chose to look back on the place they will always call home.

“I wanted to remember this for me. Don’t worry about the basket, don’t worry about the championship, don’t worry about the wins, don’t worry about the losses. I tried to be like them,” Giannis said as part of an emotional tribute video posted to his Instagram the same day the trade was made official.

The superstar hoped that Milwaukee would remember him for far more than championships or awards.

The 2x MVP described Milwaukee as a blue-collar city whose people work tirelessly before spending their hard-earned money to support the Bucks. Rather than focusing on chasing the trophies, he said his goal was to bring the same work ethic every night by “doing all the dirty work.”

His farewell became even more personal as he reflected on everything Milwaukee had given his family. 

“This is my home. This is a place that I had my kids. My mom is here, my father is here, my brother’s played here. They made me the man that I am today. That will never, ever change.”

While Giannis spoke about basketball and community, Mariah Antetokounmpo’s heartfelt letter revealed the quieter family memories that they created far from the loud Fiserv Forum.

“Milwaukee became so much more than the city where my husband played basketball. It became our home. It became the place where we built our family, discovered who we were, and experienced some of the most beautiful and challenging moments of our lives,” she wrote.

She remembered driving each of their four children home from the hospital on Lake Drive, marking their heights with permanent marker on the sunroom wall, marrying Giannis at the downtown courthouse, and even nearly going into labor during Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals.

Those moments, she suggested, mattered just as much as everything the basketball world celebrated.

Mariah also praised the side of Giannis that only she saw behind the doors. She highlighted that he was a man who showed up for the people when no one was watching. “I hope they remember most is the man behind all of it.”

Now that they are moving to Florida for their next chapter, her final words capture the true emotion.

“My husband may have left his mark on Milwaukee history, but Milwaukee will forever be the greatest chapter of our love story.”

On the organizational side, Bucks GM Jon Horst called Giannis “the heart of the organization,” thanked him for elevating the franchise and the city, and promised fans that Milwaukee would begin a new era under coach Taylor Jenkins.

The return package reflects both the scale of the loss and the deliberate rebuild ahead: the Heat sent the Bucks Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, and Kasparas Jakucionis, along with the No. 13 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2030 first-round pick swap, and a 2033 second-round pick.

On the other hand, there was a happy Heat president, Pat Riley. He described Giannis and Bobby Portis Jr. as “one of the great trades in Heat history.”

Miami welcomed a former MVP and an NBA champion. Milwaukee bid farewell to a neighbor, a husband, a father, and a family.