Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo is the perfect face of the league

Giannis Antetokounmpo ultimately stayed loyal to the Milwaukee Bucks and won a championship

While Antetokounmpo has seen the highs by winning multiple MVP awards while earning several All-Star nominations and so much more, he has certainly endured the lows to a similar degree.

From the heartbreak that came as the Bucks blew a 2-0 lead to the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals to losing 4-1 to the Miami Heat in the second round the following year, Antetokounmpo has been beaten down before. These two defeats had placed Antetokounmpo under a negative light from most of the world outside of Milwaukee. Media, fans, and everyone not cheering for the Bucks scoffed at any notion that Giannis could be the best player on a championship-winning team.

Following the team’s embarrassing defeat against the Heat last season, all the focus around the league shifted to what Antetokounmpo’s next move would be. With one year left on his deal, many speculated whether he would potentially hold off on signing a contract extension and wait it out another year to see how far the Bucks could go, or potentially jumpstart the breakup early by just outright requesting a trade. It was an anxiety-riddled offseason for Bucks fans, but ultimately, Giannis decided to stick around after the team made several moves to keep him happy.

While many were critical of him signing the supermax extension, Antetokounmpo has always preached the importance of loyalty to the team that drafted him. He has never wanted anything more than to win a title for this city, and now, he has accomplished just that after eight eventful seasons. Following Game 6, he spoke to the media and detailed the importance of winning the title with Milwaukee rather than having bolted elsewhere.

"“It’s easy to go somewhere and win a championship with someone else. It’s easy. I could go to a superteam and just do my part and win a championship, but this is the hard way to do it, and we did it.”"

Whether they are Bucks fans or not, fans have to respect that loyalty that has been on full display from Antetokounmpo from the moment he was drafted. He started something special in this city since being drafted in 2013, and he wanted nothing more than to finish it by delivering on his promise to bring home a championship.