Charles Barkley hasn’t hidden his desire to see Giannis Antetokounmpo remain loyal to the Milwaukee Bucks, even after a terrible second-round playoff exit at the hands of the Miami Heat led by Jimmy Butler. Barkley knows the struggles of not winning a championship but for him, Giannis should stay in Wisconsin and build something there, just like Michael Jordan did in Chicago during the 90s.
Chuck doesn’t agree with players going somewhere else to join super teams to win championships. The former NBA player-turned-analyst referred to Michael Jordan and what he did with the Chicago Bulls, waiting for his time, getting better season after season until he finally made that final step and won his first NBA championship against the Los Angeles Lakers of Magic Johnson. Before 1991, Jordan had failed to win his first NBA championship in six playoffs runs.
“He’s only 26. Michael Jordan didn’t win his first championship until he was 28, same thing with LeBron. I get frustrated when these guys in the media tell if you don’t win a championship this year he’s gotta leave Milwaukee. Nobody said that to Michael Jordan,” Chuck said.
During those runs, Jordan was the leader of his team in several categories but they struggled with first-round exits against big teams, including the ‘Bad Boys’ Detroit Pistons, MJ’s biggest rivals.
Giannis is one of the best players in the league right now. He’s been linked with several teams in recent times, including the Heat, Raptors and Warriors. He has decided to stay put in Milwaukee but if he doesn’t see any improvement next season, it could be time to call it a day with the Bucks.
