Report: Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo agree to 3-year, $186 million extension
Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged a career-high 31.1 points per game last season, his 10th in the league
Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t leaving Milwaukee any time soon.
Antetokounmpo and the Bucks agreed to a three-year, $186 million contract extension on Monday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Antetokounmpo teased the news on social media ahead of time, too, posting a photo with both the Larry O'Brien trophy and Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP trophy that he won in 2021.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has agreed on a three-year, $186 million contract extension, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/CmSj3I2Puk
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 23, 2023
Antetokounmpo had signed a five-year, $228.2 million supermax contract in 2020, which would have kept him in Milwaukee at least through the 2024-25 season. His new deal, which includes a player option at the end, should keep Antetokounmpo with the Bucks through the 2027-28 campaign.
Antetokounmpo had said earlier this summer that, while he knew he was eligible for such a deal, he wasn't willing to sign it unless everyone was on the same page.
"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," Antetokounmpo said in August. "And if I don't feel that, I'm not signing."
Since he made those comments, the Bucks have clearly made moves to prove to Antetokounmpo that they’re serious about making another title push. Milwaukee traded for Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard in a three-team deal with the Phoenix Suns last month, giving first-year head coach Adrian Griffin two superstars to work with this season. That immediately made Milwaukee the betting favorite to win the NBA Finals come June.
Antetokounmpo averaged a career-high 31.1 points and 11.8 rebounds per game last season while earning his seventh-straight All-Star nod. The two-time MVP, however, failed to lead Milwaukee out of the first round of the playoffs. It marked the team's second straight early exit from the postseason after it won a championship in 2021.
The Bucks will officially open the season Thursday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. With Antetokounmpo now locked down, and Lillard now in the mix, the Bucks are betting this duo will keep them on top of at least the Eastern Conference, if not the entire NBA, for years to come.
