Giannis Antetokounmpo Says He Wants to Retire With Bucks As Trade Rumors Swirl

Antetokounmpo does not necessarily want to be traded before the deadline.

Giannis Antetokounmpo made his true wish clear amid trade rumors. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The biggest name in trade rumors this year ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline is Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The “Greek Freak” has spent his entire career thus far with Milwaukee, who drafted him at the age of 18 in 2013. Since this past summer, rumors have heated up that Antetokounmpo could finish his career elsewhere, especially as he seeks another championship.

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The Warriors, Timberwolves and Heat are among the teams reportedly interested in trading for Antetokounmpo in the next couple of days, but if Antetokounmpo had what he truly wanted, he’d stay and win with Milwaukee.

For Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee isn’t just the place he’s spent his career with, it’s the city in which he’s grown up and achieved numerous milestones from winning his first championship to getting married.

“I’ve created more memories in this city than in my country,” Antetokounmpo told Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “The only memory I knew from my country is sell stuff in the street, go to practice, live in fear, protect my brothers as much as I can and be a good kid, be a kind kid.

Antetokounmpo continued, “I’ll tell you what I’ve known here. I’ve known what it is to be an NBA player, what it is to make it to the NBA. I’ve learned what it is to be an All-Star player. I’ve learned how to be a champion. I’ve learned how to be an MVP. I’ve learned how to be a father. I got married in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And also, legally, from the courthouse. And also, I’ve had my kids here. My father is buried here. So tell me you, when I open the passport of my kids and it says born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, my dad is buried here, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.”

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Antetokounmpo noted to Owczarski that he’s had “zero” input in the trade discussions surrounding him and believes the Bucks can still put together a competitive roster with him.

“I always listen and trust,” Antetokounmpo said. “But what I’m trying to say, how many chances do I have left to win a championship? So, you just gotta [be] more careful and more urgent in every decision that you make moving forward.”

Antetokounmpo added, “If you ask me what do I really want, deep down in my heart? I want to be a Milwaukee Buck until I retire and win a championship here. End of sentence. ... If that is not possible to happen, and if then you realize maybe that’s not the case and maybe they’re looking elsewhere and that’s not what they’re trying to do, then automatically you have to be in the plans of what they’re trying to do or weigh the other options. It’s normal.”

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