Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t test free agency in the foreseeable future.
On Monday evening, the Milwaukee Bucks star teased a new deal on social media.
“MILWAUKEEEEEEEEE!! Let’s get it!!!! #BucksInSix #Extended,” Antetokounmpo wrote with a photo of him holding the Larry O’Brien Trophy after winning the NBA Finals in 2021.
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Giannis signed a three-year, $186 million extension to stay in Milwaukee.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has agreed on a three-year, $186 million contract extension, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/CmSj3I2Puk
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 23, 2023
The two-time MVP’s five-year, $228 million supermax contract was set to expire after the 2025-26 season. He sounded some alarm bells during the offseason by suggesting he would consider leaving if a better situation to win another championship materialized.
“At the end of the day, I am a winner,” Antetokounmpo said on the 48 Minutes podcast in September. “I want to be a winner. Contracts, fame, status, comfort zone does not matter to me.”
Milwaukee has since assuaged those concerns by acquiring Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers. Giannis now has a superstar teammate by his side to redeem last season’s disappointing finish.
Antetokounmpo affirmed his place among the NBA’s elite by averaging 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game last season. Yet the Miami Heat shocked the top-seeded Bucks with a first-round playoff elimination.
The new deal will give Giannis the NBA’s highest average annual salary. Per Wojnarowski, the 28-year-old superstar set Monday as a deadline to negotiate an extension before Milwaukee begins the 2023-24 season this Thursday against the Philadelphia 76ers.