Giannis Antetokounmpo finally said what people have been dancing around for months, and this time, there was no room to twist it. With speculation swirling, trade deadline noise growing louder, and half the league daydreaming about a blockbuster exit, Giannis made it clear where he stands. He wants to be a Milwaukee Buck for life.
In a wide-ranging conversation with The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Giannis Antetokounmpo shut down the idea that he is plotting an exit before the Feb. 5 trade deadline or quietly positioning himself for a change of scenery.
Sam Amick: “Sure, but that’s kind of why I wanted to see if you were willing and comfortable to say, like, listen, I’m not going anywhere right now.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo: “I am not. I am invested in this team. I want to turn this team around. I want to play good basketball. I want to be healthy. I want to help my teammates. I wanna win games. The last six games we’ve played, we’re 4-2. We have a lot of games in front of us. I’m locked the f**k in. I’m locked in. My priority is just staying healthy.”
Sam Amick: “The way your situation has been framed is that in the next few weeks, before Feb. 5, you have to decide whether or not you want out. Am I hearing you correctly that you have decided?”
Giannis Antetokounmpo: “As of today. You know how they say this thing about your significant other, or your wife, you always have to say, ‘As of today.'”
Sam Amick: “I hear you, but that’s the stuff where the fans are then going to say, ‘Oh, he’s leaving an out.’
Giannis Antetokounmpo: “I don’t care. I really don’t. It doesn’t affect me at all. What I care about is basketball. I want to be good at what I do. And there’s some things that I have to do, which I will do on the basketball court. But until today, my guy Nick has been with me for 13 years, and it’s been great. Tomorrow, when I wake up, it may not be great.”
“Today, our relationship is great. Tomorrow it might be different. It’s the same thing with my wife. Until today, my wife is great. She’s a great mother. She’s a great partner. She supports me. Until today. Tomorrow, she might wake up and be like, ‘I don’t want this. I fell out of love.’ Until today, me and Jon have a good relationship. Tomorrow, (Horst) might think there’s something else out there, and he might have to do whatever he has to do.”
“You know, for me, right now, today, I am committed, not 100 percent, but 1 million percent to my teammates, to my craft, to this team, and to this city. One million percent. I don’t look right. I don’t look left. I look only to the next game, which is the Lakers, and I want to win the game. I want us to stack wins before the All-Star game to get ourselves back to the race. We’re what, 11th now? This is not who we are, you know? So that’s the only thing in my mindset.”
Sam Amick: “But you’re planning on being here through the end of the season, correct?”
Giannis Antetokounmpo: “My plan is to be here for the rest of my career. If they don’t want me.”
Sam Amick: “OK, but you’re the one in charge. Let’s be real.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo: “I’m not the one in charge. I am an employee.”
The Milwaukee Bucks are not where they expected to be. Sitting at 16-21, outside the top 10 in the East, the season has been defined by inconsistency, injuries, and unanswered questions about the roster. Add in Giannis’ opt-out window in 2027, and the noise was inevitable. Instead of frustration or deflection, his response was ownership.
This is consistent with everything he has shown before. Giannis never demanded a trade. Never leaked pressure through back channels. Never used silence as a threat. He stayed when the Bucks were bad. Stayed when they were doubted. Stayed long enough to deliver a championship in 2021 by leaning into team basketball instead of forcing outcomes on his own.
Even now, with Milwaukee flawed and vulnerable, his focus is narrow. The next game. Being available. Helping teammates. Accepting that winning does not always look pretty. He talked about sacrifice, about stars giving up touches, about how identity matters more than headlines.
That is why the rumors never quite fit. Giannis is not wired to quit on a situation. He is wired to grind through it.
The Bucks still have decisions ahead. The roster may shift. The ceiling is unclear. His extension choice later this year will carry weight. But right now, one thing is obvious. Giannis Antetokounmpo is not searching for an exit. He is searching for answers.
And unless Milwaukee decides otherwise, he wants to find them wearing green.
