The current two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, committed to the Milwaukee Bucks in the long run.
Antetokounmpo agreed to sign a five-year, $ 228 million supermax extension with the Bucks on Tuesday, announced on Twitter, and the terms were confirmed by agent Alex Saratsis to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The agreement includes a termination option after the fourth year.
“This is my house, this is my city,” posted Antetokounmpo on Twitter. “I’m lucky to be able to be a part of the Milwaukee Bucks for the next 5 years. Let’s make these years count. The show goes on, let’s do it.”
This is my home, this is my city. I am happy to be a part of the Milwaukee Bucks for the next 5 years. Let’s make those years count. The show goes on, let’s face it. 🤎🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/895tCBE9RK
– Giannis Ugo Antetokounmpo (@ Giannis_An34) December 15, 2020
If the offer was withdrawn, he would have been an unrestricted free agent next summer and the largest number to hit the market since Kevin Durant in 2016.
Antetokounmpo comes from the best year of his career by becoming the third player in league history to win the Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season, joining Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon . He also promoted his career highs in points (29.5) and rebounds (13.6) to go with 5.6 assists per game and a player efficiency rating of 31.9, the highest in a season in NBA history. , according to ESPN statistics and information data.
Milwaukee has finished the regular season with the best record in the league each in the last two years, but will not reach the NBA Finals on any occasion. In 2019, the Bucks took a 2-0 lead over the Toronto Raptors in the conference finals before losing in six games. Last season, Milwaukee didn’t get that far, falling to the Miami Heat in five games during the semifinals in the Orlando bubble.
Despite all their success in the regular season, the Bucks have reached the solo conference finals once in the seven years of Antetokounmpo and have not reached the NBA Finals since 1974 with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , who eventually asked to be traded from Milwaukee after his sixth season as a three-time league MVP.
“I think [Antetokounmpo] he should look into his own heart and make a decision based on what’s important to him and his professional life, ”Abdul-Jabbar, who led the Bucks to their only title in 1971, told ESPN during a trip to Milwaukee in October 2019.
Antetokounmpo was relatively unknown when the Bucks picked him as No. 15 in the 2013 NBA Draft. Born in Greece to Nigerian parents, Antetokounmpo played in the Greek Second Division before joining Milwaukee. It divided equally only 6,8 points by game like novice, initiating 23 games, but in his third year, its average of annotations was of 16,9 and obtained the honors of the Player of mayor Progress. The following year, he made his first of four appearances in the All-Star Game.
Milwaukee reached the playoffs three times in the first five seasons of Antetokounmpo with the team, but was eliminated in the first round each time. In 2018-19, Antetokounmpo was promoted to the league’s MVP, becoming the Bucks ’first player since Abdul-Jabbar to win the award, while leading the team to its first win in a series of playoffs since 2001.
Antetokounmpo has improved his scoring average in every season he has been in the league, reaching 29.5 last season, when he became the first player since Wilt Chamberlain to average at least 29.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the league. course of a season. However, his focus has remained on that elusive championship.
“It’s simple. You have to be better than you were last year. If I don’t win everything, I have to improve,” Antetokounmpo said during a virtual press conference in September after accepting his Most Valuable Player trophy. . “If you win everything, you can’t improve and do it again.”
With teams in the NBA clearing space at the salary cap in hopes of chasing Antetokounmpo next summer, Milwaukee has entered a critical low season in hopes of convincing its best player from Abdul-Jabbar to stay at the top. build a solid support cast.
“This is our Super Bowl,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst said Nov. 16. “We work on this every day of every year to have excellent processes and excellent decision-making filters, scholars and there is confidence in that. I have a lot of confidence in how we are addressing this and how we are working and the results we expect.”
Prior to the start of free agency, the Bucks agreed on an exchange to incorporate former All-Star Jrue Holiday as part of a four-team deal. A reported exchange that would have brought Bogdan Bogdanovic to Milwaukee as part of a signing and change deal fell through before it could be completed, and the Bucks turned to bolster their bench, adding DJ Augustin, Bryn Forbes and Torrey Craig as they signed back to escort Pat Connaughton.
The Bucks also added rookie Jordan Nwora to the No. 1 pick. 45 of the draft. Antetokounmpo and All-Star winger Khris Middleton approached the former Louisville striker on draft night with an introductory text message, saying, welcoming the team and saying that “the goal here is a championship “.
Antetokounmpo, who turns 26 on December 6, joined Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James this season as the only players to win multiple awards for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player at 25 years old. He has repeatedly expressed interest in staying in Milwaukee under the right circumstances.
“I’ve been encouraged all my career in Milwaukee,” Antetokounmpo said after winning his second MVP. “I know we’ve improved every year and I know Milwaukee has great people who sell every year just like me, who play well, improve and win everything.”