Speaking to the media for the first time since signing his supermax extension, Giannis Antetokounmpo discussed his commitment and future in Milwaukee.
It’s been a fun 24-plus hours for Milwaukee Bucks fans and certainly for superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The start of the 2020-21 season is a week away, but all Bucks fans have been on cloud nine knowing that the Greek superstar has signed his five-year, $228 million supermax extension that will keep him under contract for the next six seasons.
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Meeting with the media late Wednesday afternoon for the first time since inking his extension, Antetokounmpo discussed the factors that played into his decision and his desire to win a championship and do so in Milwaukee. Let’s just say it was certainly a more lively, enlightening press conference than the one he had a week ago.
For starters, Antetokounmpo revealed that he celebrated signing the richest contract in NBA history in typical Giannis fashion: by buying new toys and clothes for his young son, Liam, and heading up to practice early this morning.
Giannis says he celebrated the signing by buying some toys and clothes for Liam and then going home to sleep and wake up for practice.
— Kane Pitman (@KanePitman) December 16, 2020
Antetokounmpo then revealed that the talk and mass speculation around his decision eventually got to be a lot for him personally, especially in light of the team’s disappointing end last season. He also admitted that he thought of the pressure that would have followed himself and his teammates had he not signed his extension before the start of this coming campaign.
Antetokounmpo: I tried to stay away from that because that's a lot. Talking about your contract and your future and whether or not you're going to be here, it gets to be a lot.
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) December 16, 2020
Asked if he thought about how getting asked about his contract throughout the season would have affected him, Antetokounmpo said he did.
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) December 16, 2020
"It puts a lot of pressure on your teammates. I didn't want my teammates to go through that."
When asked of his goals and how he can help bring a championship back to Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo said the last two seasons were the first years where he and the team truly competed for a championship. As he reiterated that there are steps that he and the team need to take to realize their title aspirations, the 26-year-old subsequently remarked that he wants to have more kids and a championship within the next five years.
Giannis’ goals for the next five years?
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) December 16, 2020
“Have (more) kids and have a championship.”
All throughout Antetokounmpo’s 15 minutes with the media, the topic of loyalty, home and the bond he has had with the city of Milwaukee repeatedly came up throughout, often at his own volition. That has taken him this far as he’s grown into a two-time MVP, a Defensive Player of the Year, four-time All-Star and four All-NBA selections, just to name a few of his accolades.
For as much as Antetokounmpo’s star has grown worldwide, all the way from his humble beginnings in Greece, his name has now become synonymous with the Bucks themselves. That will continue on into the prime of the two-time MVP’s career and Antetokounmpo continues to show why there is no place like home for him.