Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks are ready to contend for an NBA championship after the team acquired Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers this offseason. With Lillard in the fray, Antetokounmpo has his clear most talented teammate that he's ever played with, and the Bucks figure to be among the NBA's elite throughout the 2023-24 season.

However, as part of the Lillard deal, the Bucks were forced to part ways with point guard Jrue Holiday, and it seems that Antetokounmpo will miss having the All-Star around.

“People just talk about basketball. But it’s not just about basketball,” said Antetokounmpo, per Marc J. Spears on Andscape. “It’s about going to school and seeing him there, dropping his kids there and I’m dropping my kid there and talking about our kids and talking about life. It’s bigger than basketball, obviously. With Jrue, I won a championship and he’s the reason why now I’m a champion.”

The Bucks acquired Jrue Holiday in the 2020 offseason in the hopes of bolstering Giannis Antetokounmpo's supporting cast. The trade paid immediate dividends, as Milwaukee powered through a grueling postseason en route to the 2021 NBA championship. However, Milwaukee has fallen short of even the Conference Finals in the two seasons since that championship run, opening the door for the audacious Damian Lillard trade just a few weeks ago.

While the Bucks may be better on paper with Lillard in the fray, Holiday's stabilizing presence will clearly be missed in the Milwaukee locker room. Holiday is now a member of the rival Boston Celtics.