MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo says he’s staying with the Milwaukee Bucks for at least five more seasons.
“I’m blessed to be a part of the Milwaukee Bucks for the next 5 years,” the two-time reigning MVP posted Wednesday on his social media platforms.
The 26-year-old Antetokounmpo had until Monday to sign the Bucks’ supermax extension offer. If he turned it down, Antetokounmpo could have become a free agent after the upcoming season. Although Antetokounmpo didn’t announce the terms of his new deal, The Athletic and Stadium reported that he agreed to a five-year contract worth $228 million that includes an opt-out clause in 2025.
“This is my home, this is my city,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’m blessed 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 get it.”
His decision means the Bucks will hang on to their biggest superstar since Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who led Milwaukee to its lone NBA title in 1971 but demanded a trade and was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975.
The Bucks paid a hefty price to revamp their roster this offseason in an attempt to persuade Antetokounmpo to stay in Milwaukee. They dealt away guards Eric Bledsoe and George Hill, first-round draft pick R.J. Hampton and two more first-round selections as part of a package to acquire Jrue Holiday in a four-team trade.
They also overhauled their bench by adding Bobby Portis, D.J. Augustin, Torrey Craig and Bryn Forbes. Antetokounmpo called those offseason moves “amazing” without indicating whether he planned to sign the extension.
Despite regular-season success, Milwaukee has yet to reach the NBA Finals with Antetokounmpo. The Bucks lost a second-round series in five games to Miami last season after dropping four straight games to blow a 2-0 lead over Toronto in the 2019 Eastern Conference finals.
Antetkounmpo missed most of a Game 4 victory and all of a Game 5 loss in the Miami series with a sprained right ankle.
Milwaukee selected Antetokounmpo out of Greece with the 15th overall pick in the 2013 draft. The 6-foot-11 “Greek Freak” has career averages of 20.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Last season, he averaged 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists while winning his second straight MVP award. He also was named the NBA’s defensive player of the year.
PELICANS: With a preseason that’s shorter than usual before the NBA season opens on Dec. 22, teams don’t have much time to ready themselves gradually. Some teams are playing just two exhibition games before things count.
That’s probably why Zion Williamson was still on the floor attacking the basket in the fourth quarter Monday night in Miami. New Orleans led the Heat comfortably in its debut under Stan Van Gundy, but the veteran coach had his young starters on the floor for more than 30 minutes.
“That’s why I play basketball, to play a lot of minutes and to help my team win,” Williamson said.
Williamson, whose rookie season got off to a late start because of a knee injury that caused his minutes to be limited when he returned, finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Brandon Ingram, last season’s Most Improved Player, had 22 points, six rebounds and six assists.
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