Many NBA experts rank Antetokounmpo as the league’s greatest forward, with some even calling him the best оffensive player in the NBA. The Greek superstar has won the MVP title twice, and this year he also took home the Defensive Player of the Year trophy, making him only the third player in league history to accomplish this feat.
Only Michael Jordan (1988) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1994) have won both individual awards in the same season before him. However, Antetokounmpo’s finest hour came the following year, when he led the Bucks to their first NBA title since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s era in 1971.
Antetokounmpo can sign a three-year extension worth about $173 million (£137m) in a matter of weeks, but he has no immediate plans to do so. Since his long-term future in the NBA is up in the air, he does not see any reason to commit to staying in Milwaukee this summer in light of his concerns over the direction of the team.
According to Antetokounmpo’s comments to the New York Times, “the real question’s not going to be this year” (since it doesn’t add up, mathematically speaking). But it would make more sense for both parties next year, perhaps in the summer. To be honest, I still don’t know.
I can’t give my all unless I know everyone else is committed to winning as much as I am and is willing to make the same kind of personal sacrifices that I am. Not feeling it would prevent me from signing.
The Bucks won the Eastern Conference last season, but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the eventual NBA champion Miami Heat. Even though Antetokounmpo was helpless due to his ιnjury, the team nonetheless made adjustments.
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer was controversially fired after leading the team to the 2021 NBA Finals. Budenholzer’s brother had died in a car аccident during the series against Miami, and the team had already hired Adrian Griffin, an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors. Antetokounmpo’s doubts have their roots in the team’s new management.
Antetokounmpo, who was chosen 15th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft, signed a five-year, $228 million (£180m) deal with the team in 2020. The Greek great is obsessed with winning, even if he wants to play in the NBA for 20 years and has said he wants to do it all with one team like Kobe Bryant.
Ultimately, he said, “winning is all about reaching that goal. First and foremost is a championship victory. If I’m on the same team for the next 20 years and we don’t keep winning, I’m going to go crаzy.
After his stellar 2017–18 campaign, Milwaukee will do just about anything to keep Antetokounmpo on the roster. He scored 31.1 points per game on average and added 11.8 boards and 5.7 dimes.