Giannis Antetokounmpo has become one of the richest and most successful athletes in the world, but the Milwaukee Bucks superstar believes young NBA players need to learn one lesson before anything else: never become completely dependent on the people managing your money.
During a recent interview with School of Hard Knocks co-founder Jack Dumoulin, Antetokounmpo shared some of the most valuable financial advice he would give to an 18-year-old athlete entering professional sports.
“When an athlete starts playing, he doesn’t know about financial literacy. He doesn’t know how to save money, invest money, none of that. When you come into the NBA at 18, this is how it works. People provide your lawyer, your agent, and your financial advisor. You come in, and they say, ‘These are your people. These are the people you have to trust. These are the people who are going to handle everything in your life.'”
“What does that do? It doesn’t allow you to learn. And if you don’t learn, you will always need them. You will always say, ‘What is this? I don’t understand this.’ You have to educate yourself. Slowly, slowly, slowly. The advice I would give young athletes, or anybody entering a space they don’t fully understand, is two things. First, don’t ever let your lawyer, financial advisor, and agent all know each other. Never. Never let them become buddies.”
“Because they keep each other accountable if they don’t know one another. One can point out where another made a mistake. Your lawyer can question your agent. Your advisor can question your lawyer. That accountability matters. At the same time, read books. Learn financial literacy. Learn how to save money. Learn how to invest money. Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.”
“Everything I spend money on, I want to see value. That’s why I buy art. I buy watches. I buy real estate. Everything I put money into has to return value to me. When I look at a million dollars, I don’t just see a million dollars. If you put a million dollars into the market and it returns 9 to 10 percent, that’s another $100,000.”
“So when I give one million dollars to Ferrari Purosangue, I’m not really giving away one million. I’m giving away $1.1 million. Because I’m also losing the return that money could have generated. That’s the habit I’ve created in my mind. And that mindset will never change.”
Antetokounmpo’s comments offer a fascinating look into how he approaches wealth and financial independence. While some might view his advice about lawyers, agents, and financial advisors as extreme, the logic behind it is understandable.
When all three work closely together, there is a risk of groupthink. Each person may become less willing to challenge decisions or question recommendations. By keeping those relationships separate, Giannis believes each professional serves as an independent layer of oversight.
In practice, an agent focuses on maximizing contracts and endorsements. A lawyer reviews the legal implications of those deals. A financial advisor focuses on preserving and growing wealth. If all three operate independently, mistakes are more likely to be identified before they become costly problems. For young athletes suddenly managing millions of dollars, that extra accountability could prove invaluable.
Perhaps the most important part of Giannis’ message is not the structure of the team around him, but his insistence on personal education. Too many athletes delegate every financial decision and never learn how money works themselves. Antetokounmpo is arguing that players should not blindly trust anyone, no matter how qualified they are. Instead, they should understand contracts, investments, taxes, and long-term wealth building well enough to ask informed questions.
The advice comes from someone who has experienced both extremes of life. Antetokounmpo recently recalled how he earned just €300 per month as a teenager in Greece and even turned down an early Adidas offer because they refused to immediately honor a promised contract for his brother, Thanasis. Nike later offered both brothers contracts, helping begin their journey to global stardom.
Today, Antetokounmpo is one of the highest-paid athletes in basketball. He is entering the final guaranteed year of his contract with Milwaukee and will earn $58.4 million next season while holding a $62.7 million player option for 2027-28. He is also eligible to sign a massive four-year extension worth roughly $275 million.
For young athletes suddenly handed life-changing money, Antetokounmpo’s message was simple. Learn the business yourself. Ask questions. Stay educated. And never allow anyone else to control your future completely.
