Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with the Milwaukee Bucks has once again become one of the biggest talking points in the NBA. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Antetokounmpo and his agent have begun conversations with the Bucks about his future. They are said to be discussing whether staying or leaving would be in his best interests, with a resolution expected in the coming weeks.
The report understandably caused some panic within Bucks Nation, but Antetokounmpo’s latest comments suggest it isn’t a foregone conclusion that he leaves. NBA insider Chris Haynes relayed the two-time MVP’s message on NBA on Prime.
“I did reach out to Giannis, and he spoke to me about just being where his feet are planted,” Haynes said. “He said that is where his focus is at. He told me something about five years ago, and he said, “Chris, remember what I told you five years ago?” I remembered, but I said, ‘No, tell me.’
“He said, ‘There are people who see a door, and they want to hurry up and escape through that door,” Hayes continued. “He said, ‘But I see a wall, and I want to run through the wall and make things work.’ He said, ‘So that’s my focus right now. I want to run through the wall, make things work, get healthy, and try to be there for my team.’
“He doesn’t know what’s going on behind the scenes with the front office or what they’re looking at doing as far as his future goes,” Haynes added. “He said his focus is getting healthy and being there for his team and not running from situations.”
Antetokounmpo has sent a fair few interesting messages about his future. Previously, the nine-time All-Star had mentioned wanting to get out of his comfort zone, as that is where he excels. Antetokounmpo stated that staying with the Bucks would be the easy decision, as he is well-settled, but he wants to push himself to be uncomfortable. It sure does seem as if he will leave, and the only question is when.
Antetokounmpo wants to win more championships, and it’s looking unlikely he will be able to accomplish that goal with the Bucks. They are now 10th in the East with a 10-14 record and look set to slide down the standings further. The reason is that Antetokounmpo is sidelined with a right calf strain, and he could end up missing about four weeks with it.
The Bucks are 1-6 this season when Antetokounmpo doesn’t play, and that record shows just how mediocre his supporting cast is. It’s hard to see a scenario where the campaign ends on a positive note. So, even if he does end up staying now, it’s likely he will leave after the season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo On Deleting Bucks Posts From His Instagram Account
Antetokounmpo caused a stir earlier this month when he erased a lot of content from his Instagram account, including plenty of Bucks-related posts. Haynes spoke to him about that topic as well and he had an interesting explanation for it.
“I spoke to him about that,” Haynes stated. “And he said, ‘Listen, as it pertains to his social media, he said he did that around three or four weeks ago. He said not only did he delete Bucks photos and videos, but he deleted family photos and videos. He said right now what’s most important in his life is confidentiality and privacy.”
Antetokounmpo claims to have watched an interview involving Denzel Washington and Michael B. Jordan. In it, Washington asked Jordan whether fans would come to his show in droves, given that they already have access to him on social media.
With that in mind, if you want to see more of Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game, just head over to Bucks games when he gets healthy.
