The Milwaukee Bucks made a huge gamble in the off-season. They brought in Jrue Holiday while giving up a host of picks to convince star Giannis Antetokounmpo to stay. After weeks of speculation, this gamble paid off, as Giannis signed an extension.

There were reports that said he wanted to leave due to their lack of success. Rumors linking him to the Heat, Mavericks, and the Warriors kept growing stronger every day. Then on Tuesday, The Athletic’s Shams Charania dropped the bomb and revealed Giannis was signing the supermax extension.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst later revealed how this conversation went about, between Giannis and Bucks owner Marc Lasry. They discussed how to build the best team possible. Later, they also spoke about how Giannis was being recruited by teams across the league.

Windhorst wrote, “At one point, sources said, Antetokounmpo even showed the Bucks’ management text messages from stars on rival teams who appeared to be beginning their pitch.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo committed to the Bucks’ cause

There is no doubt that a two-time MVP will have many suitors. So Giannis might have had many messages to show to Lasry. His move to the Heat seemed almost inevitable after the Bucks lost to them in the playoffs. After the Heat clogged up their cap space with Bam Adebayo’s extension, it looked like the Mavericks were the destination for him in the 2021 Free Agency.

But he has chosen to stay loyal to the team that drafted him back in 2013. As of now, he hasn’t officially “snitched” on any of his recruiters, and no tampering fines have been issued yet.

Giannis also mentions that he didn’t want to enrage Milwaukee fans by leaving. He said, “I’ve seen people decide to leave and they burn their jerseys. I didn’t want that to happen to me.”

The Bucks haven’t won a ring since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led them to the title in 1971. Since then they have had just one Finals appearance and endless successful runs. So fans are hoping that Giannis can help them to end this barren streak of five decades and bring home the Larry O’Brien trophy finally.

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