Milwaukee Bucks: Loyalty is in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s DNA

By Jacob Szaniawski | Dec 31, 2018

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 25: (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

When Giannis Antetokounmpo hits free agency in 2021, he is certain to draw the eye of every team in the NBA. Giannis is a generational talent who has yet to hit his prime. As speculation already begins to heat up, it is important to remember his deeply rooted ties to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In the NBA, a player’s loyalty to their respective franchise can make or break a team. Franchise players depart from the city they were originally drafted by all the time; leaving their former teams in shambles.

In the 1980s, Charles Barkley left the Philadelphia 76ers for the Phoenix Suns. In the 1990s, Shaquille O’Neal left the Orlando Magic for the Los Angeles Lakers. The 2000s saw Vince Carter leave the Toronto Raptors for the New Jersey Nets, while most recently, Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors.

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Mobility is important. Players can and should exercise their right to move from team to team in search of a better situation. There is nothing wrong with that.

The NBA’s 2018-2019 season is no different than years past. Anthony Davis’ contract is soon to expire, leading players such as LeBron James to coax him into joining the Los Angeles Lakers during free agency. Like Anthony Davis, the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo is no different.

Giannis’s contract is set to expire after the 2020-2021 season. During that time, he is certain to have plenty of suitors. However, Milwaukee Bucks’ fans can rest assured that he is not going anywhere.

“I don’t like all these flashy cities like L.A. or Miami. I don’t know if I could be the same player if I played in those cities,” Giannis told The New York Times’ Marc Stein.

Giannis is a low-key individual. It is apparent to any Milwaukee native that Giannis prefers to stay out of the limelight. He is never seen out clubbing until the wee hours of the morning, and is never caught up in controversy. Instead, Giannis focuses on his two loves; basketball and his family.

Let’s face it; Milwaukee is not the most glamorous city. We do not have the same draw as cities such as Los Angeles and New York. However, that is precisely why Giannis feels so at home here.

“I love how quiet and calm Milwaukee is,” Giannis Antetokounmpo told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in February.

He is able to excel in a laid-back environment where the eyes of the world are, for the most part, off him. Small market teams garner less attention from the mainstream media as opposed to their large counterparts, so Giannis can put his head down and focus on winning basketball games without additional distractions.

Milwaukee is home to Giannis, and he is not going anywhere anytime soon. In 2017, award winning rapper Kendrick Lamar released the smash hit song, “DNA”. Fans were delighted when Giannis caught wind of the song, and tweeted the lyrics, “I got loyalty inside my DNA,” followed by a deer emoji.

On July 2, 2018, during LeBron James’ highly publicized free agency move, Giannis once again spoke on his loyalty to Milwaukee.

“My goal is to win in Milwaukee and bring a championship to the city,” Giannis told “The Herd”’s Colin Cowherd, “I would never leave for LA.”

Unfortunately, media outlets across the league do not see what Milwaukee Bucks’ fans see. In September, Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype reported that an anonymous NBA GM thinks Giannis is gone when his contract is up.

"“There’s no way in hell that Giannis is staying in Milwaukee for his second deal,” the GM said, “I would bet everything I own that Giannis leaves Milwaukee.”"

Hopefully, the mystery GM in question does not have much to lose, because Giannis is not going anywhere anytime soon.

The Milwaukee Bucks have rebuilt themselves from the depths of obscurity around the success of “The Greek Freak”. For years prior to Giannis’s arrival, Milwaukee was the laughing stock of the NBA.

After Ray Allen’s departure from the city in 2002, the Bucks were seemingly lost.

The 2009-10 rendition of the Milwaukee Bucks showed a glimmer of hope. A budding Brandon Jennings and a bruising Andrew Bogut led the Bucks to an impressive 46-36 record, before being bounced in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

After a brief taste of success, the Bucks faded back into oblivion.

The 2016-17 season saw Giannis take the world by storm, and as a result, the Bucks finished 42-40; a delight compared to years past. This was his coming out party; officially solidifying himself as an All-Star and cornerstone piece of the franchise.

Now, Giannis Antetokounmpo is a superstar and a household name.

Averaging 26.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 5.9 assists, Giannis is the favorite to win the 2018-19 KIA MVP. The Bucks are, barring any extraneous circumstances, emerging as favorites to come out of the East.

Why would Giannis leave a situation where he has been given the keys to the franchise? The Milwaukee Bucks have built themselves into contenders, and have provided Giannis with valuable pieces around him to make a run deep into the playoffs.

This is not a situation where a superstar is wasting away the best years of their career in a city that has no hope of winning a championship. The Bucks are ready to win now, and that is due in large part to the stellar play of Giannis Antetokoumpo.

The Milwaukee Bucks are poised for success for years to come. Great coaching, stellar players, and a franchise altering superstar are key ingredients to a championship contending team, and the Bucks fit the mold.

Giannis has all of the tools he needs to succeed; therefore, the idea of him leaving for another situation is unfathomable.

Next. Milwaukee Bucks: Learning from the Green Bay Packers’ failure. dark

Giannis Antetokounmpo will be a Milwaukee Buck for life.

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