Bucks fans, have no fear. Giannis Antetokounmpo will be staying in Milwaukee after signing the largest deal in NBA history.
According to CBS News, Antetokounmpo has signed a 5-year “supermax” deal worth $228 million that includes an opt-out. In other news, I now feel poor as hell. Antetokounmpo confirmed the news in a tweet, writing “This is my home, this is my city. I’m blessed to be able to be a part of the Milwaukee Bucks for the next 5 years. Let’s make these years count. The show goes on, let’s get it.”
If Antetokounmpo turned down the deal, he would’ve become a free agent next summer, which would have likely seen teams across the league moving heaven and earth to have “The Greek Freak” on their roster.
Antetokounmpo was born in Greece, the child of two Nigerian immigrants. He told 60 Minutes in 2018 that while they didn’t have much, he still had a joyful childhood. Going from poverty to the largest deal in league history is one hell of a come up and we love to see.
It’s well deserved too as the man can ball his ass off, becoming just the third player behind Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon to win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, according to ESPN. He’s also the first Buck to be named MVP since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the ‘70s and joins Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as the only three players to win multiple MVP awards before the age of 25.
If you’re only 26 and you already rank among the greats, you’re probably doing something right.
Milwaukee finished last season with the best record in the league, but lost in a 4-1 series against the Miami Heat during the semifinals. The NBA season starts next week, where the Bucks will open their season against the Boston Celtics on Dec. 23.