He had already done it in December 2020. Giannis Antetokounmpo had extended to the Bucks, with what was at the time the largest contract in history ($228 million over five years), only a few days before the resumption of the regular season. Again This year.
The Milwaukee superstar ended the suspense by once again extending his lease in Wisconsin for $186 million over three years. A decision which puts an end to all imaginable speculation around its short-term future.
“ I knew deep down that I wanted to stay. I didn’t want, if we lost a match, for people to come back and say: ‘Oh, Giannis is annoyed, he doesn’t like what’s happening, this, that, he’s going to leave, blah, blah, blah…’ No, the debate will only focus on basketball », justifies the Greek, quoted by ESPN.
A month earlier, the double MVP had put pressure on his leaders, to whom he asked to be able to constantly be in a condition to win again. The All-Star interior then found “ more logical for both parties » that the possible contract extension does not take place until next summer.
Since then, his franchise has struck hard by setting up this exchange to offer Damian Lillard, mechanically reaffirming the team’s title ambitions. The future Hall of Famer, however, minimizes the importance of the offseason decisions in his decision to re-engage with his longtime franchise.
“ I make a lot of people stressed »
“ I want to be here, don’t I? There is no secret, everyone knows it. I make a lot of people stressed. And I don’t want to be the reason a lot of people are stressed because there’s a lot of stress in my life. So if I can make things easier for the franchise and my teammates and put us in a better position to win a title, then yes. Let’s go », Formulates Giannis Antetokounmpo, now coached by Adrian Griffin.
NBA champion in 2021 after extending
The latter, who also arrived in the off-season, believes that his player is anything but “ a disruptive element, I never considered him as such, he is the best player in the world. It’s the business part, but we’re lucky, very lucky that he decided to sign this extension. He signed it yesterday and he was the last person to leave the room today. That’s how unique it is. »
From now on, as Giannis Antetokounmpo said, the game is a priority, as was the case at the start of the 2020-21 season, which ended with the Bucks’ title. “ It helped me a lot (to extend at the start of the season). I didn’t have to think about it. And I don’t think it’s only useful for me, but also for the team. They don’t want to hear, ‘Oh, Giannis is leaving,’ ‘Giannis is staying,’ all year long. », Judges the Greek, who has exchanged a lot with his brother, and teammate, Thanasis, on the question.
Basically, according to him, it was a question of “ the smartest decision I could make for my family, the smartest decision I could make basketball-wise. It’s as if the question is no longer relevant. I don’t have to think about it anymore and I just play basketball. »
