Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks dribbles in Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoffs against the Miami Heat at the Caseya Center in Miami, Florida, April 24, 2023. /CFP
Giannis Antetokounmpo will make the Milwaukee Bucks wait for his decision over signing an early contract extension unless the team shows him that they are committed to winning the NBA championship, the "Greek Freak" told The New York Times in an interview.
Antetokounmpo will enter the third year of his five-year, $228 million deal in the 2023-24 season, and thus is available for a three-year, $173 million extension at most after September 22. He has a player option after the 2024-25 campaign.
"Next summer it would make more sense for both parties. Even then, I don't know," Antetokounmpo said. "I would not be the best version of myself if I don't know that everybody's on the same page, everybody's going for a championship, everybody's going to sacrifice time away from their family like I do. And if I don't feel that, I'm not signing."
Giannis Antetokounmpo (#34) of the Milwaukee Bucks guards Jimmy Butler (#22) of the Miami Heat in Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoffs at the Caseya Center in Miami, Florida, April 24, 2023. /CFP
It should be noted that Antetokounmpo signed his current contract before they won the title in 2021. Before that, the Bucks had never made it out of the Eastern Conference. He called lifting the trophy "the best feeling" he has had in basketball.
"At the end of the day, being a winner, it's over that goal," the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player said. "Winning a championship comes first. I don't want to be 20 years on the same team and don't win another championship."
The Bucks finished the 2022-23 regular season with a league-leading 58 wins and were considered one of the major championship candidates. However, they were upset by the Miami Heat 4-1 in the first-round playoffs in the East. Antetokounmpo made three appearances in that series and averaged 23.3 points, 11 rebounds and 5.3 assists while shooting 52.8 percent from the field and 45.2 percent at the free throw line.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (#34) of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots in Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Cofnerence first-round playoffs against the Miami Heat at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, April 26, 2023. /CFP
Coach Mike Budenholzer was fired by the Bucks after the season, replaced by Adrian Griffin. The Bucks signed long-term extensions with two of their key players, Khris Middleton ($102 million for three years) and Brook Lopez ($48 million for two years) during the offseason.
"At the end of the day, I feel like all my teammates know and the organization knows that I want to win a championship," Antetokounmpo told The New York Times. "As long as we're on the same page with that and you show me and we go together to win a championship, I'm all for it. The moment I feel like, 'Oh, yeah, we're trying to rebuild' ... there will never be hard feelings with the Milwaukee Bucks."