Giannis Antetokounmpo loves the Bucks, but he loves winning more, and while Milwaukee has turned its season around, the team must prove it can sustain long-term success to keep him.
Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to stay in Milwaukee, but if he doesn't see sustained long-term success, he may look elsewhere, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
| Team: |
Milwaukee Bucks |
| Position: | PF |
| Age: | 30 |
| Height: | 211 cm |
| Weight: | 98 kg |
| Birth place: | Athens, Greece |
"Everyone knows Giannis Antetokounmpo loves the Bucks, but I'm here to tell you he loves winning more, and that's why everyone in the Bucks organization knows what's at stake this season," Charania said on the 'Get Up' show. "They know the pressure, and every summer, when Giannis looks around and looks at the Bucks' current roster, he looks at sustained long-term winning.
"He has always tried to make everything work in Milwaukee, even this season. They've gone out and gotten Kyle Kuzma. This is a team with Damian Lillard, Kyle Kuzma, and Doc Rivers," Charania added. "Giannis has been playing otherworldly this season. When you think about MVP candidates, he's right up there with SGA and Nikola Jokic.
"But he made those comments a couple of years ago about failure and what failure means for the Bucks. In a lot of ways, this is championship or Eastern Conference finals. They haven't reached that plateau ever since they won the championship in 2021. They do need to get back to that level to show Giannis that they're building something sustainable."
The Bucks' rough start to the 2024-25 season fueled trade rumors about Antetokounmpo. However, as the team has turned things around, those rumors have faded.
After starting 2-8, Milwaukee now sits 5th in the East with a 29-24 record. They also went undefeated in the NBA In-Season Tournament and won the NBA Cup.
This season, the 30-year-old Giannis is averaging 31.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game.
