MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo is staying with the Bucks for another five years!
Giannis let fans know of the good news by posting the news on Twitter, saying Milwaukee is his city.
"This is my home, this is my city," the Bucks superstar 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."
This is my home, this is my city.. 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. 🤎🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/895tCBE9RK
— Giannis Ugo Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) December 15, 2020
The news comes after the team made the playoffs two years in a row but fell short when it comes to a championship.
According to the Athletic reporter Shams Charania, Giannis' five-year supermax extension with the Bucks is worth a reported $228.2 million.
Breaking: Giannis Antetokounmpo says he is signing a contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks. The two-time MVP will sign a five-year, $228.2 million supermax extension with the franchise, the largest deal in NBA history, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 15, 2020
It's always been clear that Giannis loves Milwaukee thanks to his interactions with fans and social media posts.
Back in September, Giannis shared photos from the 2020 season on Instagram and said Milwaukee has "the best fans in the world." He even said he was looking forward to next season.
Prior to signing the contract, Giannis had also said in several interviews that he loved Milwaukee and wasn't planning on leaving. We must say, though, it feels pretty good to have that in writing.
Giannis joined the NBA back in 2013 when he was drafted to the Milwaukee Bucks. Prior to that, though, Giannis played for five years in Greece. His family didn't have a lot of money and felt the struggle until NBA scouts began to notice his talent.
Giannis joined the NBA and began to prosper. In his first season with the Bucks, he mostly came off the bench but still managed to get people to start recognizing his name. He was listed as No. 11 on the NBA’s rookie leaders list in his first season.
In 2014, Giannis was named NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the first time. However, during that season, he was still mostly coming off the bench. That all changed during the 2015-2016 season.
Giannis started in 79 of his 80 games during that season and averaged career highs in minutes (35.3), points (16.9), rebounds (7.7), assists (4.3), blocks (1.4), steals (1.2) and field-goal percentage (.506), according to the Bucks.
In 2017, Giannis was given the most improved player of the year award.
From then on, Giannis was a starter and a star. He went on to win two back-to-back MVP awards in 2019 and 2020 and was named to several NBA All-Star teams. In fact, Giannis became the first Bucks player to start in four consecutive All-Star games.
During the 2020 season, he was one of the All-Star team captains alongside Lebron James and was named the NBA's defensive player of the year.
As of the end of the 2020 season, Giannis has been named Eastern Conference Player of the Week nine times and has been named to three NBA all-defensive teams.
In addition to NBA awards and honors, Giannis was also named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People.
"To watch him play is to see not just what is, but also what is possible. There is some mystical quality that quickens a fan’s heart when they see that person walk onto the court. The true sports hero makes our bones vibrate and flesh ripple in anticipation of witnessing greatness," wrote Kareen Abdul-Jabbar in TIME magazine.
Giannis also has a few ESPY awards from his time as a Bucks player.
While Giannis already has a long list of accomplishments, we're sure there's more to come with this super-max extension. And maybe, if we're lucky, one of those awards will be an NBA Championship.
This story was first reported by Julia Marshall at TMJ4 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
