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Milwaukee Bucks of America sensation, Giannis Adetokunbo (Antetokounmpo) has fir a shock warning that he could be on his way out of the USA National Basketball Association (NBA) defending champions in the near future.
‘The Greek Freak,’ who was back-to-back most valuable player in the NBA and best defensive player in between, caused a major stir when he admitted his ambitions, despite again starting another season solidly with The Bucks.
Megasportsarena.com reports that the revelation comes at a point Giannis is facing another tough test of his fitness level and capacity to keep going under pressure, as he bowed out of action in Friday’s NBA fixture.
In his absence, Fred VanVleet scored 13 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, as Toronto Raptors took advantage of Antetokounmpo sitting out with a sore right calf to beat Milwaukee 97-93, which ended The Bucks’ winning streak at eight.
Antetokounmpo sat one day after he scored 40 points as Milwaukee beat Charlotte 127-125. The two-time NBA MVP didn’t play for the first time since November 12, when he missed an overtime loss in Boston because of a sprained right ankle.
The bigger focus though is on the Nigerian-born Greece international star’s shock declaration, which is contained in a report by Yahoo Sports’ analyst, Liz Roscher, who noted in part: Giannis Antetokounmpo has not been quiet about his love for Milwaukee.
Both before and since he signed a contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2020, he’s been vocal about his love for the city and the team, and that love has only grown since he led the Bucks to their first championship in 50 years.
But that love may not keep him in the city forever. In a recent interview with GQ’s Zach Baron, he said there’s a possibility that he could leave Milwaukee in the future and embrace a new challenge somewhere else.
“One challenge was to bring a championship here and we did,” he told me. “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.”
It’s not that he doesn’t love Milwaukee, he said. But he was always wary of things becoming too easy.
“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 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.”
That’s not going to be easy for Bucks fans to read. Antetokounmpo didn’t just help lead the team to a championship, he’s a joyful player and human being.
There’s no other guy like him in the NBA, and him wearing different colors isn’t something that most Milwaukee fans want to imagine.
This exposé might shake Bucks’ coach, Mike Budenholzer, who is staying calm and focused in the early days of the new season, despite his team appearing to struggle for form and his key player facing some injury concerns already.
Budenholzer greeted Boston Celtics’ Nigerian ex-international, Ime Udoka with a hug and a smile in a TD Garden corridor after the former San Antonio Spurs assistants met for the first time as head coaches.
Udoka’s Celtics earlier handed The Bucks an overtime loss, following which Budenholzer retreated to the locker room, where he retorted, “I just forgot about the loss,” while his friends consoled him over the sting of a sub-.500 start.
Nonetheless, Budenholzer is comfortable, maybe for the first time in his 25-year NBA career, as The Bucks are 6-8, 11th in the East, but the hot seat that nearly burned his behind in Game 7 of the conference semi-finals has cooled in his fourth season on Milwaukee’s bench.
It takes a glance at the injury report to explain the slow start, and Budenholzer’s charges reflect the confidence of a coach who knows they will be there again in the end, and Yahoo Sports’ headline noted: Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks are still a juggernaut lying in wait.
Playing their third game in four nights on Friday, Bucks were without Antetokounmpo (ankle), Khris Middleton (COVID-19) and Brook Lopez (back), the core of a team that has won better than 70% of its games since 2018, winning seven playoff series, including last season’s championship.
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