Giannis Antetokounmpo: A different outlook on MVP’s eventful Saturday

Giannis Antetokounmpo caused a stir in the NBA on Saturday when news broke that he requested a meeting with Milwaukee Bucks’ ownership.

After a devastating 4-1 defeat in the second-round to the Miami Heat, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have been the talk of the NBA.

Finding himself at the center of a barrage of NBA speculation, the reigning league MVP assured fans and his team that he would not be requesting a trade this offseason prior to the final year of his current deal, telling Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports in the aftermath of the Bucks’ playoff exit:

More from Bucks News

• Bucks 2023-24 player profile: Can MarJon Beauchamp take a leap?
• Piecing together the Milwaukee Bucks’ dream starting 5 in 5 years
• Predicting Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s 2023-24 stats for the Bucks
• Grade the trade: Bucks land reputable backup guard in swap with Pacers
• New workout video should have Milwaukee Bucks fans excited

"“It’s not happening. That’s not happening. Some see a wall and go in [another direction]. I plow through it. We just have to get better as a team, individually and get right back at it next season.”"

Despite these encouraging comments that he will stay in Milwaukee for at least one more season, Giannis and the Bucks found themselves shrouded in rumor mill chatter again on Saturday. Once again reported by Chris Haynes, the Greek Freak reportedly met with Milwaukee ownership to discuss the future of the franchise just hours after he unfollowed the team and his teammates on social media.

Of course, all 29 other teams in the league would love to get their hands on a likely two-time MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, who is just 25-years-old, so the slightest bit of controversy can go a long way. As of now, though, there is no outright answer as to what precisely happened in the meeting or whether anything should be read into him unfollowing his teammates on social media. But it might not be as bad as the world is making it out to be anyway. In fact, it mightn’t be bad for the Bucks at all.

For reference, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers went through a similar fiasco in the middle of the 2017-18 NBA season. Former Portland owner Paul Allen believed Lillard was inevitably going to request a trade after he called for a meeting, but the star guard took things in a different direction. The news broke courtesy of none other than Chris Haynes, then writing for ESPN.

"“Lillard, who will turn 28 on July 15, requested the meeting in part to reaffirm his commitment to the only professional franchise he has suited up for, but also to gain assurances that the organization was just as devoted to expeditiously crafting a title-contending team, sources said.”"

A year later, in the 2019 NBA offseason, Lillard and the Blazers agreed to terms on a four-year, $191 supermax contract, locking him up until the end of the 2024-25 season. To be clear, Giannis Antetokounmpo is not Damian Lillard, nor is he a Portland Trail Blazer, but it serves as an example that these types of meetings do not always end in a split.

As for Antetokounmpo unfollowing the Bucks’ social media account and all of his Milwaukee teammates except for his brother Thanasis Antetokounmpo, that might be a tougher pill to swallow. However, even that could be a false alarm.

Back in 2016, then Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James unfollowed the team’s social media accounts, as well as several officials and reporters close to the team, which caused an uproar. However, James eventually attributed these decisions to wanting to cut out the noise from the outside world before the playoffs, eventually going on to sign a 3-year $100 million contract extension with the team in the offseason. Once again, this is a different situation between Giannis and LeBron, as James and the Cavaliers were coming off of a championship victory just months earlier. Still, there are parallels between the two instances.

Antetokounmpo has been one to delete his social media from time to time previously, and if he wants to stay connected with just his family members during this difficult period, that does not seem too far-fetched. The disappointing postseason defeat is likely taking its toll on Giannis, and tuning out social media might be for the best.

All in all, there is too little known about the situation at this time, which means speculating is the only thing people can do. With Giannis Antetokounmpo under contract for one more season before he hits the free-agent market, pending a supermax extension, the Milwaukee Bucks will have a busy offseason ahead to get things sorted out.