It was the first time in 50 years that Milwaukee had brought the Larry O’Brien trophy back to the 414. The Milwaukee Bucks were NBA champions once again, and they were on the hunt for repeating it the following year. That game brought some highlight moments, including Giannis Antetokounmpo scoring a 50-piece in the 105-98 Game 6 victory against the Phoenix Suns.
Fast forward two years and the goal hasn’t changed: Win a championship.
Milwaukee Bucks Offseason Woes / Surprises
The Bucks were coming off a pretty disappointing first round exit to the Miami Heat after they had held the best record in the NBA, Giannis was approaching yet another contract deadline, and they needed to try and keep key players on the roster.
Both Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton signed deals to stay with Milwaukee, Giannis still hadn’t decided on his contract options, and Mike Budenholzer was out as head coach.
Rumors were flying, word was spreading, Giannis had been telling media like the New York Times that if everyone wasn’t going to be on the same page as him, then it wasn’t worth signing another extension in Milwaukee. The NBA universe was sent into a spiral. Little did they know that general manager Jon Horst was about to cook up the biggest trade in the offseason.
Damian. Lillard.
The seven-time all-star had requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers, a team he spent his entire NBA career with. He wanted to be traded to a championship contender, he didn’t see Portland bringing home rings in the near future.
Then on Sept. 27, the internet blew up. Posts left and right, “Damian Lillard to be traded to the Milwaukee Bucks”, “Lillard to Milwaukee.” It was mass chaos, but in a good way.
The Milwaukee Bucks had been involved in a three-team trade that brought superstar Damian Lillard to their roster. However, they did lose an all-star defender in Jrue Holiday, who was eventually traded to the Boston Celtics.
Bucks fans were able to see Lillard sport a Milwaukee uniform for the first time on Bucks Media Day, and then saw him in action against the Los Angeles Lakers in a preseason game. Dame Time was here and it was happening. Bringing Lillard to Milwaukee not only boosted the roster, but brought huge news just three weeks following the trade announcement.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Signs Three-Year, $186M Contract Extension
It was the news that everyone was waiting for. Giannis Antetokounmpo had put pen to paper, signing a three-year, $186M extension with the Bucks. Ironically, when Giannis first signed an extension in 2020, he had asked the Bucks for some extra help and he got that with Jrue Holiday, and then Lillard comes in 2023, and Giannis signs another extension.
Upon hearing the initial proposal of the extension, Antetokounmpo wanted to sleep on it, talk with his family about making a big decision like this.
“I knew in my heart that I wanted to stay here,” Antetokounmpo said. “I did it this way before, in 2020, and it was good for me because I didn’t have to think about it. I didn’t have to put myself in a state of ‘What if? What if?’ No, I’m committed. I’m here. And I want to win another championship.”
Giannis puts loyalty as his main motivation as to why he signed the extension:
“The Milwaukee Bucks organization, they’ve been there with me since the beginning. They changed my life. They changed my family’s life,” he said to media on Tuesday.
“The city shows me lots of love. And also whenever I go out there and have time with my family, they give me space…They respect me, who I am as a person, what I’ve done for the city of Milwaukee. And for that, I can’t turn my back. Not now, not in the future, not ever. I want to be committed. I want to give back to the city of Milwaukee. We won one championship, but I believe that we can win a second one.”
It’s Now or Never for a Championship
Now more than ever, the Milwaukee Bucks need to make the championship run of a lifetime. With having arguably one of the best starting five in the league, they are fully capable of running it all the way and bringing the championship back home. It’s on everyone’s minds, it’s the one thing all NBA players want to achieve at some point in their life, and for the Bucks, they wanna do it again.
In an interview with Chris Haynes from Bleacher Report, Damian Lillard expressed how excited he is for the opportunity to play in Milwaukee, a top contender for the NBA championship.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Lillard said. “To compete at the highest level and have an opportunity at a championship, that’s all you can ask for.”
The championship isn’t going to come easy, but it’ll come with patience and time. We’re just getting the season started, anything can happen. But if the Bucks want to keep their core players together, another trophy and some rings might just be the glue that holds them together.
For More Wisconsin Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @sarahspooon and follow us at @WiSportsHeroics. For all things Wisconsin sports, click here! We cover everything Wisconsin from the Milwaukee Bucks, Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Packers, Wisconsin Badgers and more!
