Last season ended in disaster for the Milwaukee Bucks, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and company losing to the Miami Heat in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
The Bucks were expected to go the distance and potentially win it all after securing the top spot in the Eastern Conference, but that was far from the case when they ran into a determined Heat squad led by Jimmy Butler, who made easy work of Antetokounmpo and his team in five games.
With things going about as wrong as they could go for the Bucks in the playoffs, the team fired head coach Mike Budenholzer, and then the speculation began about what the future might hold for Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee.
Although Antetokounmpo kept quiet for most of the NBA offseason, the Bucks superstar recently opened up about his future in an interview with the New York Times in which he hinted at leaving Milwaukee in the near future if he’s not on the same page with his teammates in terms of winning a championship.
Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas believes that Antetokounmpo is taking the same path as Kobe Bryant when he threatened to leave the Los Angeles Lakers before the team brought in Pau Gasol, as he said on “Gil’s Arena” via ClutchPoints.
“[Giannis] is doing what Kobe Bryant did… ‘Before I sign this thing, what are we doing here… I wanna win multiple rings, cause that’s what the legacy is built on.’”
Gilbert Arenas on Giannis’ future with the Bucks 🗣️
(via @GilsArenaShow)pic.twitter.com/6rWOJnRdDT
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 29, 2023
Arenas is right on the money with this comparison, as Bryant grew increasingly frustrated with the Lakers for not putting enough talent around him to win while he was playing elite basketball, which ultimately resulted in the team making a move that helped them win two more championships.
The real question moving forward is whether Antetokounmpo will get to the point where he demands a trade or walks away in free agency due to frustration.
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