FILE – Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) dribbles the ball during the first half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, Monday, April 24, 2023, at Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, file)
MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo says he wants to see how determined the Milwaukee Bucks are to compete for another championship before deciding whether to sign a contract extension.
The two-time MVP will become eligible next month to extend the contract which currently spans the 2024-25 season, with a player option for 2025-26. Antetokounmpo told The New York Times that he will not sign an extension this year. He said it might make more sense next summer, “but even then, I don’t know”.
“I wouldn’t be the best version of myself if I didn’t know that everyone is on the same page, that everyone is aiming for a championship, that everyone is going to sacrifice time away from their families. like I do,” Antetokounmpo said. “And if I don’t feel that, I don’t sign.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks is defended by Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat during the first half of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at Fiserv Forum on April 16, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Stacy Revere/Getty Images/AFP
Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to their first title in half a century in 2021, seven months after signing a supermax extension. But the Bucks haven’t made it past the second round of the playoffs the past two seasons.
The Bucks posted the best regular season record in the NBA in 2022-23, but lost 4-1 to the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs. They then fired coach Mike Budenholzer and replaced him with former Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin.
Antetokounmpo said he wanted to “see the dynamic” of how everything is working with the new coaching staff before deciding whether or not to stay in Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo also spoke about his hopes of playing his entire career with one franchise.
“But in the end, to be a winner is to exceed that goal,” said Antetokounmpo. “Winning a championship comes first. I don’t want to spend 20 years on the same team and not win another championship.
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