MILWAUKEE — Following Wednesday’s practice, Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers and superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo addressed a recent ESPN report about an offseason discussion Antetokounmpo and his representation had with general manager Jon Horst, and a subsequent conversation the Bucks conducted with the New York Knicks about trading the two-time NBA MVP.
Antetokounmpo said that while he considers his options during the offseason, something that he has publicly discussed doing for years, any consideration of another opportunity ends when the season begins.
“I’ve always wanted to be in Milwaukee. I always wanted to represent the city. As long as we have the opportunity to win and I feel like we have an opportunity to win. … So I’m here. Milwaukee Bucks, I’m here.
“There’s going to be a lot of people that are going to approach me or going to approach my agents and they’re going to say, ‘Hey, this is a possibility, that’s a possibility,’” Antetokounmpo said. “But at the end of the day, ultimately, I’m going to make a decision. My decision today is that I’m here. And I’m committed to this team.”
When asked how he deals with such a report as a coach, Rivers said he doesn’t.
“I mean, what are you supposed to say? I’ve been coaching 26, 27 years and one thing that I know is that 30 teams call 30 teams, all right.
“‘Hey, would you like to trade Chris Paul?’ And you say, ‘No.’ That does not constitute a conversation, all right? You know, I read where it said several conversations, well, that never happened. It was a conversation where a team called, and Jon has been saying no now for 11 years. I don’t know why this is a new story, but I guess it is.”
Rivers continued to dismiss the reporting as he discussed the effect it can have on an organization.
“It’s funny — what’s the old saying? You create the story and then you report on the story you created,” Rivers said. “And that’s what it feels like. And it gets old for us.
“But at the end of the day, there’s nothing we can do about it, but I can tell you Jon (Horst) has never called a team about Giannis. That has never happened. And until that happens, you really don’t have a story.”
Antetokounmpo hopes that his statements on Wednesday, as well as Rivers’ comments, will put an end to the conversation surrounding the superstar forward’s future during this season.
“I think after this interview here, I’m not going to see it,” Antetokounmpo said. “You guys are going to see it. It’s going to have you guys’ names on there. Report from Jim (Owczarski) and Eric (Nehm): ‘Giannis is committed to Milwaukee and committed to this team.’ And it’s going to end it.”
The Bucks’ superstar forward, however, knows that conversation tends to surround players of his ilk, and he will need to continue to serve as a leader to the young players on the Bucks’ roster, who have not lived through the day-to-day rumors that tend to follow Antetokounmpo.
“We’re a young team, so with my actions and with my words, I just gotta keep on validating with those guys that we’re here to do something special,” Antetokounmpo said. “We’re here to learn. We’re here to play hard. And we’re here to compete. And I’m here, and there’s nothing else that matters.
“Obviously, you’ll probably see in two, three days that I probably met with FC Barcelona, too, or I met with PSG, right? Yeah. Don’t believe it because I’m going to show up in practice, and we’re going to do what we gotta do. We’re going to work through our plays. We’re going to work on our defense, and we’re going to lock in and play the game tomorrow.”
Rivers told reporters that Antetokounmpo will not play in the Bucks’ second preseason game on Thursday against the Detroit Pistons after a bout with COVID-19 kept him out of the start of training camp, but the nine-time All-NBA forward hopes to play in the final two games of the preseason. That desire to get on the floor and help the team get ready for the regular season is part of the commitment Antetokounmpo has made to Milwaukee because of his belief in this year’s team.
“I’ve said this many times: I want to be in a situation that I can win, and now I’m here,” Antetokounmpo said. “I believe in this team. I believe in my teammates. I’m here to lead this team to wherever we can go, and it’s definitely going to be hard. We’re going to take it day by day, but I’m here. So, all the other extra stuff does not matter.
“I think I’ve communicated with my teammates, communicated with the people I respect and love that the moment I step on this court or in this facility, I wear this jersey, the rest does not matter. I’m locked into whatever I have in front of me. Now, if in six, seven months, I change my mind — I think that’s human too. You’re allowed to make any decision you want, but I’m locked in. I’m locked in to this team. I’m locked in to these guys, to this group and to this coaching staff and to myself.”
Overall, Antetokounmpo rejected the premise of thinking about any other situation during the 2025-26 season, but was not afraid to discuss how he spends each offseason thinking about his future. He reiterated that those thoughts end once the season begins.
“That’s temptation, and that starts when the season ends until the season begins,” Antetokounmpo said. “There’s going to be a lot of people that are going to approach me or going to approach my agents, and they’re going to say, ‘Hey, this is a possibility; that’s a possibility.’
“But at the end of the day, ultimately, I’m going to make a decision. My decision today is that I’m here. And I’m committed to this team.”