Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo opened up earlier this year about what the future holds for him in Milwaukee. In a spring 2019 interview conducted by Harvard Business School professor Anita Elberse for a case study she was working on, the reigning league MVP shared how his team's success rate — or lack thereof — will play a major role in his decision next summer.
According to Giannis himself, he will be put in a rather precarious situation if the Bucks underperform:
“I want the Bucks to build a winning culture,” Elberse and her co-author, master's student Melcolm Ruffin, quoted Antetokounmpo as saying, via Rick Romell of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “So far, we have been doing great, and, if this lasts, there's no other place I want to be. But if we're underperforming in the NBA next year, deciding whether to sign becomes a lot more difficult.”
This is indeed a pretty big statement from Antetokounmpo, who does not often open up about the potential supermax deal he will be eligible to sign at the end of the 2019-20 campaign. Much has been made about Giannis' loyalty to the Bucks, and many believe that he has every intention to stay on with the side for years to come.
However, this statement comes directly from the horse's mouth, so there's really no denying this here. We could twist this into Giannis providing some extra motivation for the rest of his team to do well in the coming season, but knowing how he operates, this is more likely just an honest assessment from a young and talented man driven purely by his competitive nature.
The Bucks head into this season as a championship favorite, but if they fall well short, there could be some nervousness in Milwaukee.
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