Giannis Antetokounmpo’s NBA legacy has been embedded in one team: The Milwaukee Bucks. In a league where loyalty is often fleeting and superstars jump ship for greener pastures, the Greek Freak remains a rare breed. ESPN’s Rachel Nichols doesn’t think that Giannis’ loyalty will last forever, though.
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Since winning the NBA Championship in 2021, Giannis and the Bucks’ last two seasons were anything but storybook. A combination of early playoff flameouts, key injuries, or a glaring lack of personnel depth has defined their post-championship seasons. It’s been a string of “what ifs” and “almosts” that have haunted Milwaukee fans and perhaps even the nine-time All-Star himself. The 2021 Finals win seems like a long time ago.
Nichols predicted that Giannis will follow in the footsteps of another NBA legend on a recent episode of All The Smoke. “I think he may end up being like KG,” she stated. “I think he will be there for a really long time and realizes at some point that this is what’s best.”
The reference to Kevin Garnett—a loyal soldier in Minnesota for over a decade before finally chasing a title with Boston—hits home. KG’s career was defined by loyalty until it wasn’t. Nichols seems to be saying Giannis could walk that same tightrope: committed until the cost of staying outweighs the benefits.
Giannis has been rumored to be going to a variety of teams, from the Heat to the Knicks
And the rumors? They’ve never really stopped. Whether it’s the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, or even far-flung speculation about the Lakers or Knicks, the NBA rumor mill has kept Giannis’s name hot.
Every time a big market is ready to make a splash or a contender needs a transformative star, Giannis is somehow in the conversation. Some of that comes with being one of the best players in the league, but it also speaks to the undercurrent of doubt about how long Milwaukee can realistically keep him.
To his credit, Giannis has done more than most stars to pledge his loyalty. He signed a supermax extension in 2020. He’s spoken about his love for Milwaukee, the franchise that believed in him when he was just a skinny kid from Greece. He even brought the city its first title in 50 years.
But in today’s NBA, words and contracts only go so far. Situations change. Circumstances shift. And fans have learned to take loyalty with a grain of salt.
