Rather than hit unrestricted free agency in 2021, Giannis Antetokounmpo allowed the Milwaukee Bucks organization and fans to take a collective sigh of relief when he announced his decision to sign a five-year, $228 million supermax extension on Dec. 15.

Antetokounmpo inked his deal roughly a week before the Dec. 21 extension deadline. However, that doesn't mean the two-time MVP didn't struggle with the decision to commit to Milwaukee. Bucks general manager Jon Horst knows it was tough:

“It wasn’t an easy decision for him,” Bucks GM Jon Horst told Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “… I think it’s something that he went back and forth on, considered everything like he should, during a major decision like this in his life and for his career. And at the end of the day, I think he put faith in the organization, that we’re gonna continue to do everything we can to become great and be great every year, not just once.”

Or, as a source described to The Athletic about Antetokounmpo's wavering: “One day, he’s in 1,000 percent. The next day, he’s asking more questions.”

Ultimately, Horst believes Antetokounmpo's signing indicates the trust he has in the Bucks to surround him with a championship-caliber roster for years to come. Horst also credited the culture the team has worked hard to develop around their generational star as a major factor in the max deal:

“I think it shows mostly a lot about Giannis and his desire to win and to be part of a culture where winning is first and foremost, and where the resources are going to be provided to you to win and continue to push the envelope and be in a position, year in and year out, to compete at the highest level. But to do it in a family environment, in a healthy environment, where people want to come to work every day and enjoy what they do every day. And for us, the goal from day one has been to create that environment, create that culture, and not just do that, but also to win at a high level … We haven’t gotten to where we want to get, but you can see a path and obviously he can see a path. And that’s where he put his trust in.”

Despite the condensed offseason, Horst and the Bucks were determined to make significant upgrades to the Bucks' roster to show Antetokounmpo their commitment to competing for titles, including acquiring Jrue Holiday for an expensive package of draft picks, Eric Bledsoe, and George Hill. On the same day, the Bucks seemed to have acquired Bogdan Bogdanovic, only for the sign-and-trade to fall through later in the week, which momentarily tempered the team's optimism in locking in Antetokounmpo prior to Dec. 21.

His teammates also joined in on the persuasion effort:

“The process leading to the decision…consisted of an array of meetings, a hilarious birthday ploy by his teammates to get him to put ‘pen' to paper, conversations about the Bucks’ commitment to roster building after an offseason in which they landed Jrue Holiday,” The Athletic reported.

Antetokounmpo's deal includes an opt-out clause in 2025 and a 15 percent trade kicker.

Milwaukee is 2-2 through the first four games of the 2020-21 season. Antetokounmpo is averaging 21.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, and, most importantly, zero questions about free agency per game.