Bucks Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Hints at Potential Exit From Milwaukee

Matt Levine | Feb 27, 2025

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks are looking to bring back another championship to the franchise, led by star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo has been with the Bucks for his entire career and is beloved in the city.

More news: Can Bucks Pairing of Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo Actually Contend For Title?

But there has already been talk about whether Antetokounmpo could eventually leave Milwaukee in the coming years due to an aging roster. Antetokounmpo hasn't given much responses to this idea but he was very candid in a recent interview.

When discussing his legacy in Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo had some interesting thoughts on his future. Within, it seeded as Antetokounmpo could be hinting at his eventual departure from the Bucks down the line.

"Don't fall into your comfort zone,” he said. “I don't want to stay in my comfort zone. I want to be challenged. And if the challenge is here, which it is right now – we have a real challenge, people don't respect us, we have good group, it's good. But we might not have a challenge one day. We might be rebuilding as a team, or we might not be chasing nothing."

"So, will my individual athlete be more important than the championship? This is a thing that maybe some players make a mistake. They stay in the place maybe too long.”

While Antetokounmpo didn't flat-out say that he would leave the Bucks down the line, this response is certainly interesting. Antetokounmpo is the kind of player that will always leave his options open so his leaving the Bucks isn't completely out of the realm of possibility.

The Bucks will do whatever they can to keep Antetokounmpo in town but at the end of the day, he wants to win at the highest level. If he feels that Milwaukee can no longer provide him with that fact, he will leave to chase a title elsewhere.

It remains to be seen what will happen with Antetokounmpo but his comments will certainly raise some speculation. The star only has a few years left on his current contract and if the team were to have another early playoff exit, anything could happen.

More Bucks news:

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Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo 'Loved' Amen Thompson's Flagrant Foul

For more news and notes on the Milwaukee Bucks, visit Milwaukee Bucks on SI.