Giannis Antetokounmpo and his future with the Milwaukee Bucks are in the spotlight, as many are wondering whether he will stay with the team or request a trade. Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in the league, and with him being in the prime of his career, he should be chasing as many championships as he can.
The latest debate on First Take was what would be the one word to describe Antetokounmpo if he doesn't win another title, and Smith may have frustrated some people with his answer.
“Underachiever,” Smith said. “He's one of the greatest players to ever play the game. Over the last four years, minimum 200 games, Giannis is second in the league with 30.4 points per game, fifth in the league with 11.7 rebounds per game. Nine All-NBA selections in his career, nine All-Star selections, and top-10 in MVP voting nine times. He has more of that than postseason series wins. That's unacceptable.
Molly Qerim: "What's one word you would use to describe Giannis' career if he doesn't win another title?"
Stephen A. Smith: "Underachiever." 👀
(via @FirstTake)pic.twitter.com/xe8Xm29rQh
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 13, 2025
“You don't look at somebody that dominant, that fantastic, with that kind of fire in his belly to compete on a night-in, night-out basis, and all you have is one championship to show for it. He's got one playoff series win in the last four years. Not fault; he was hurt a couple of times.”
Like Smith said, it's not Antetokounmpo's fault that he was dealt this deck of cards, but it's hard to diminish what he's done throughout his career because he only has one ring.
Article Continues BelowWill Giannis Antetokounmpo stay with the Bucks?
Everyone is wondering what Antetokounmpo will decide to do regarding his future with the Bucks. With the team's lack of playoff success over the past few seasons, there is considerable uncertainty about whether this team has reached its ceiling and needs to start anew. At the same time, Antetokounmpo can lead a team by himself, but he will need help to get to the next level.
The Bucks may not have the pieces and cap space to make that work, and with Damian Lillard set to miss most of next season as he recovers from an Achilles injury, Antetokounmpo might not want to wait for the dominoes to fall, and he can try to request a trade to another team.
That scenario could also bring some problems because Antetokounmpo can cost a team a lot of assets, and by the time he's traded, the team might not have that much talent to work with.