Giannis Antetokounmpo talks about returning to Milwaukee

When the Milwaukee Bucks began their media day and training camp this week, the presence of No. 34 was no where to be found.

For the first time since 2012, Giannis Antetokounmpo was not in Milwaukee for the beginning of Bucks' training camp. Instead, he began his training camp in Miami, starting a new chapter in his life with the Heat.

Milwaukee traded the former MVP to Miami this summer, and began a new era for the Bucks with an different roster. Everyone in the building recognizes that it's a different feeling without the face of the Bucks for the last decade, but instead trying to replace Antetokounmpo, they're looking to build something new.

The players they received in the trade in Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakučionis look forward to a fresh start, and hope they can build and be a part of a foundation in Milwaukee.

"I don't think we're replacing him, Herro said. "Obviously, he's the greatest Buck, you know, that's played for the organization. But we're not replacing him. It's a new era. It's something new, it's something that's going to be a day-by-day process of us continuing to get better every single day, building as a team, as an organization and trying to get back to the mountaintop of winning a championship."

It's going to be a challenging task without having a player of Antetokounmpo's caliber, but nonetheless, Milwaukee is moving forward with their current team.

In South Beach, the hype is back to the top with Antetokounmpo leading the way as their is hope that the future Hall of Famer can also get the Heat back to the mountain top of a winning championship as they once were with greats such as LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

Giannis … 3s pic.twitter.com/TkWTCN6EmY
— Five Reasons Sports 🏀🏈⚾️🏒⚽️ (@5ReasonsSports) September 30, 2026

Of course, it would not be training camp with Antetokounmpo if someone didn't ask him about his former team. When the NBA schedule was released, you didn't need to look far and wide for any potential storylines.

From intense rematches to players returning home to play against their teams, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks fell right line.

On Jan. 28, on Prime Video, Antetokounmpo will make his return to Milwaukee for the first time since leaving and as the entire league already knows, it's going to be an anticipated matchup. The four new Bucks players will play against their former team as well, but all eyes will be on the man who brought Milwaukee their second championship.

It's going to be an emotional time for both parties, but especially for Antetokounmpo who constantly mentioned his love for the city and what it meant to him. A big part of that has to do with how built a life and a family while playing for the Bucks, and his wife Mariah, mentioned how emotional it was going to be for him.

Giannis addressed how he will feel about his first game in Milwaukee pic.twitter.com/Mh0Gj2VKqk
— Five Reasons Sports 🏀🏈⚾️🏒⚽️ (@5ReasonsSports) September 30, 2026

"My wife mentioned that a couple days ago... [she's like], 'I know it's gonna be an emotional game for you and we're gonna be there for you.' And obviously I think going back in a different uniform and going through the hallway and seeing the familiar faces, for sure it's going to be difficult, but at the end of the day, we are big boys, we wear big pants, we make decisions, we got to live by the decisions. And I'm a guy that lives with no regret and when I get there, I'm gonna try to put on a show and try to get a win for my team."

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