For the longest time, many NBA fans believed that Giannis Antetokounmpo will forever remain with the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis was one of the only players left that seemed to value loyalty. Him signing a contract extension with Milwaukee a few years ago seemed to cement that. However, his tune has slightly changed from recent memory, based on his thoughts on a contract extension.

In an interview with the New York Times, Giannis Antetokounmpo talked about his upcoming contract extension. The Bucks star said that he's waiting until next offseason to sign and discuss an extension. The reason? Well, he wants to make sure that both he and Milwaukee are on the same page in terms of competing for a title.

“The real question’s not going to be this year — numbers-wise it doesn’t make sense,” Antetokounmpo said. “But next year, next summer it would make more sense for both parties. Even then, I don’t know… I would not be the best version of myself if I don’t know that everybody’s (Bucks) 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.”

Antetokounmpo expressed his resistance about the Bucks potentially going into a rebuild, as well. He reiterated that as long as Milwaukee shows a commitment to winning championships, he'll remain with the team. One of his goals is to be like Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant: players that remained with their team for 20 years.

However, his loyalty will not come at the expense of mediocrity or bad team play. A ring has always been Giannis' first priority. If the Bucks do not show the same commitment to winning as he does, he probably won't hesitate to leave the team.

“This is my team (Bucks), and it’s going to forever be my team. I don’t forget people that were there for me and allowed me to be great and to showcase who I am to the world and gave me the platform. But we have to win another one… But at the end of the day, being a winner, it’s over that goal,” he said. “Winning a championship comes first. I don’t want to be 20 years on the same team and don’t win another championship.”

While it sounds harsh, Giannis Antetokounmpo is avoiding the same issues that befell other “loyal” stars. While Kobe and Tim Duncan had success with their teams, other loyal players weren't so lucky. Dirk suffered from organizational incompetence that hindered his ability to win another ring. Damian Lillard remained loyal to the Blazers, but they didn't make enough moves to support him. With this declaring, Giannis is pushing the Bucks to be a better team.