Myths that were busted as Milwaukee Bucks won the 2021 NBA Finals: No. 3 – Giannis Antetokounmpo could not lead this team to a championship
Following those failures against the Raptors and Heat, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with the Bucks was in doubt.
Everyone knew how much the two-time league MVP wanted to win, but due to several factors – notably his aforementioned head coach and second star – many believed that he could not do it with the Bucks. With one year left on his contract entering the 2020-21 season, Antetokounmpo faced a decision regarding his future, and many believed he should hold off on signing a supermax contract extension so he could take his talents elsewhere the following offseason. Teams such as the Raptors, Dallas Mavericks, and Golden State Warriors were on the record with interest, all of which could have provided interesting landing spots for the Greek Freak.
Instead, Antetokounmpo showed his loyalty to the Bucks by signing a five-year extension with the franchise. When it was first announced, many outsiders criticized the decision and claimed that he had made the wrong decision, having stated that Antetokounmpo would never lead the Bucks to a title. Well, he did it the very next season by having arguably one of the greatest postseasons ever by a player. He unanimously won the NBA Finals MVP after dropping 50 points in a Game 6 win, forever silencing the notion that he could not be the best player on a championship team.
Hopefully Antetokounmpo can prove those doubters wrong more than once as the Bucks look to defend their title as the defending world champions.