Home

NBA

Giannis Antetokounmpo Dismisses the Thought of Joining Anyone Other Than the Milwaukee Bucks

Published 12/17/2020, 1:00 AM EST

Follow Us

USA Today via Reuters

Giannis Antetokounmpo has finally put the NBA world at rest after declaring his decision to stay with the Milwaukee Bucks. This was one of the biggest mysteries this offseason. Looks like all the sacrifices the Bucks made to keep him, by giving up multiple picks to acquire a second-scoring option like Jrue Holiday to play with him, has paid off.

Why was Giannis’ choice such a big deal? To begin with, he is one of the best players in the league. So for him to sign with any franchise would change their fate for the better.

Other than that, Giannis was dropping hints about wanting to leave. He had claimed that if the Bucks failed to get a title with him last season, he would not want to stay anymore.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

There were rumors that Giannis was in talks with Miami Heat, and the Toronto Raptors were also potential suitors. Now that Giannis has signed his extension with the Bucks, did he at all consider joining another team?

USA Today via Reuters

Giannis never wanted to leave the Bucks

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

After creating history by signing a lucrative five-year max extension worth $228.2 million, Giannis took part in a press conference. In the interview, he was asked if he thought about going to a bigger franchise.

Giannis said jokingly, “What do you want me to say? Yeah, I thought about leaving and going to Seattle Supersonics? Is that what you want me to say? There was obviously a thought behind it, but I wanted to be here. I want to be here, I want to help my teammates and the organization win a championship. I want them to help me win a championship. It goes both ways. But like I said, I tried to keep it away from my head. It puts a lot of pressure on athletes. It gave me a headache all summer… I just wanted to be left alone. I knew what I wanted in my head, knew the goal is to win a championship. Here, we have a chance to win a championship.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest NBA stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

With Giannis back on board, the Bucks are back to being a threat in the east. Will he help the Bucks get rid of their dry title-streak of five decades?

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Yashima Bhatia

1,803Articles

One take at a time

Yashima Bhatia is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports who specialises in providing nuanced predictions and updates for matches. She has a Bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication. Yashima's love for playing the game came up at a young age, when the excitement of the games coupled with the intensity of the Playoffs had her hooked.
Show More>