Giannis Antetokounmpo: Bond, belief and breaking through that wall with the Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks were given a new lease on life with Giannis Antetokounmpo signing his supermax extension earlier this week.

The biggest threat to the rebirth of the Milwaukee Bucks had been neutralized as of this week.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s landmark decision to sign his five-year supermax extension serves as the latest and greatest instance of the 26-year-old’s loyalty and happiness playing for the only NBA team he’s ever known. That has subsequently left all Bucks fans, the city of Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin free to sit back in their proverbial seats as his decision inched ever closer to the deadline before the start of the 2020-21 season.

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For the Bucks organization, they have reached a checkpoint that, at various points, seemed to good to come true. Outsider perspectives had long cast doubt in the Bucks’ ability to keep Antetokounmpo happy, pointing to the doomsday clock that ticked loudly at any moment of weakness and/or struggle the Bucks encountered.

In reality, Antetokounmpo’s decision is as much about his star turn, his happiness and maximizing his career earnings as it is about the trust and belief the organization has held in him since selecting the Greek superstar with the 15th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

Every step along the way in Antetokounmpo’s personal journey since arriving in Milwaukee has been about empowering and maximizing his body, mind and talents just as long as his limbs are.

As Antetokounmpo has evolved and matured into one of the best players in the NBA today, so too has his relationship and his overall role within the franchise. Antetokounmpo has not ditched the wide-eyed enthusiasm and charm that first attracted him to Bucks fans in the first place, but his drive and desire to be the best player in the world has become his mission statement.

That fire, along with the starring role he’s been accustomed to occupying in his superstar ascent, has been the catalyst behind him becoming the MVP-caliber player we have seen in the last two seasons alone and with seven NBA seasons under his belt.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s rise has coincided with the Milwaukee Bucks’ transformation into becoming a title contender both now and in the years to come.

Of the few constants throughout Antetokounmpo’s rise and the Bucks’ long overdue come up, how Antetokounmpo has been utilized and entrusted to grow has been the backbone to their recent resounding success.

From 15 wins in Antetokounmpo’s rookie season to having the best record in the NBA in each of the last two seasons, the Bucks have lived with the ups and downs that have occurred as Antetokounmpo has found his way to the top of the league. That goes as recently as the Bucks’ playoff disappointments, which has included Antetokounmpo trying to meet MVP-like standard from the regular season to deep into the postseason.

Throughout it all, Antetokounmpo has increasingly been woven into the Bucks’ identity on and off the court. It all has made for a unique partnership for both superstar and organization, given that Antetokounmpo needed the Bucks and a chance for a new life in America just as the Bucks needed a new leader to rally behind as they otherwise could have slipped into extinction.

More than seven years later and soon-to-be $335 million of career earnings under his belt, Antetokounmpo has made his dreams possible with the Bucks, all while the dream of becoming a champion still remains the biggest priority in his NBA career. And while it hasn’t necessarily been the smoothest ride to this point, the Bucks’ trusting of Antetokounmpo and putting him in a position to succeed to this point has very clearly been overarching reason to their ongoing renaissance as a franchise.

That, in of itself, isn’t unique to a small market team like the Bucks or any team for that matter. Teams that have had the good fortune to land on a superstar in the vein of Antetokounmpo do everything in their power to build a winning foundation around their face of the franchise, just as the Bucks have.

Even as the Bucks and Antetokounmpo aspire to reach the NBA Finals and win a championship one day, not all teams have been able to find the formula to success and keep their stars subsequently. Obviously the New Orleans Pelicans quickly come to mind with Anthony Davis before he set off for the Los Angeles Lakers and promptly became an NBA champion.

As Antetokounmpo explained during his press conference after signing his historic extension, though, going off to greener pastures does not align with what he believes as a person:

"“I’m a man of my word. This is big. Being with the team that trusted me, believed in me, took care of me and my family, took care of me financially. I always want to give back. And I’ve been trying to give back since day one. I’ve got more to give and I love this city. I love playing with my teammates. I love this organization. At the end of the day, it’s easy to dip at the first chance. But that’s not me as a person.It’s tough because nowhere you go are you guaranteed to win a championship. I know who I am, I know that I’m a man of my word. It might take me 10 years, I might never win a championship, I might win five. Whatever the case might be, I know who I am and I know what I believe and I stuck with the people who believed in me.”"

As he made clear with his landmark decision, Antetokounmpo showed that his belief in the Bucks’ present and future is as much as about what the organization has done for him up until this point. The future is always uncertain, but as long as Antetokounmpo stays in Milwaukee, he and the Bucks have a chance to break through that wall en route to an NBA title together.