Giannis Antetokounmpo made a choice: The challenge of chasing another ring with a team closer to that path outweighed his love for the city of Milwaukee. He moved on.
That does not mean his love for Milwaukee has changed, something he professed on AnesΤea The Podcast, a popular Greek podcast (hat tip and translation via Hoopshype). Antetokounmpo also talked about what excites him about making the move to Miami this season.
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“The easy thing would be to stay in Milwaukee, but I don’t want to be comfortable. From a small child, I want always to have new, new challenges. And for me, this is a challenge, that I go somewhere where I don’t know, I don’t have experience, I don’t have a home, I don’t have found school for my children, I don’t know where the parks are, I don’t know who the manager is, I don’t know who I play with. I will go there and I will try to make it happen, as I went to Milwaukee and I made it happen. And for that, for me, it excites me, it likes me, that is, from a small child, I always liked the challenge…
“The city of Milwaukee, I love the city of Milwaukee. I will love it until I die. I bleed purple and green. It’s very simple. They made me who I am today… And, anyway, and basketball-wise, I passed very beautifully. And that will always be in my heart. It will never, it doesn’t matter if I play in Mars. It will always be in my heart, and, luckily, when I finish this cycle with Miami, which I don’t know when it will end, and if, I will definitely return to Milwaukee, and I don’t know if they want me then.”
The reaction in Milwaukee will be interesting when Antetokounmpo returns to the city wearing a Heat uniform for a game on Jan. 28. I’d expect a warm reception: He loved and embraced the city and the team, and he brought them a title. Still, the years of “will he/won’t he,” then finally pushing his way out the door, leaves a bitter aftertaste.
In Miami, Antetokounmpo is closer to a title and there may be a path to get there, but heading into next season the team is not in the upper tiers of the East. Right now, I have the Heat as a play-in team in a much deeper Eastern Conference than we saw a season ago. If Antetokounmpo stays healthy, is energized and returns to playing at an MVP level, then that prediction will be too low, but he’ll have to show it.
Antetokounmpo said he wanted a challenge. Well, he’s got it.