Just a few short months ago, Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered the Milwaukee Bucks their second championship in franchise history and their first in 50 years. The 26-year-old claimed his first Finals MVP award and officially assumed his place as one of the top players in today’s NBA.
Now back in Milwaukee in the first season of his five-year max extension, Antetokounmpo has his sights set on a repeat championship with the Bucks. With Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday also locked down for the foreseeable future, the organization is positioned to be a competitor for at least the next few years.
Of course, that’s only if Giannis stays in Milwaukee.
In a recent interview with GQ, the two-time MVP made some comments that called into question whether or not he sees a long term future with the Bucks. Although he affirmed his love for Milwaukee and the organization, Antetokounmpo reiterated that he loves challenging himself and admitted that he may need to search for those challenges elsewhere in the future.
“It was very hard, but we did. Very, very hard. I just love challenges. What’s the next challenge? The next challenge might not be here. Me and my family chose to stay in this city that we all love and has taken care of us—for now,” Giannis said in an interview with GQ’s Zach Baron. “In two years, that might change. I’m being totally honest with you. I’m always honest. I love this city. I love this community. I want to help as much as possible.”
Antetokounmpo’s agent, Alex Saratsis, was quick to clarify that Giannis’ doesn’t necessarily mean that he intends to leave the Bucks anytime soon. He explained that the two-time MVP will just need to find a way to create challenges for himself after having already achieved so much success in professional basketball.
“I don’t think it’s, ‘I’m thinking about leaving the Bucks’,” Saratsis told Baron. “But I think he’s genuinely like: ‘Okay, I have reached the pinnacle. The next challenge is, let’s repeat.’ But what happens if you do repeat? What’s the next challenge? What is that next barrier? When you think about it from a basketball perspective, by the age of 26, this kid has accomplished everything. So sometimes you’re going to have to manufacture what those challenges are.”
It’s hard to believe that Giannis would leave Milwaukee in the middle of his new contract, but other teams around the league would surely be quick to pounce if he expressed his desire to go elsewhere. It’s not every day that one of the league’s best players becomes available, especially one like Antetokounmpo who’s in his prime.
For now, Bucks fans can breathe a sigh of relief and know that one of the best basketball players on the planet resides in Milwaukee. So long as Giannis is there, the Bucks will be among the favorites to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2022.