It’s always been about winning and bringing home a championship to Milwaukee for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. He has proven time and time again that no matter who is in charge, Antetokounmpo is going to do his best to make sure that he and his team are winning and everyone is contributing to the success.
“Take the ball down the stretch and score the ball” says Giannis.
In an interview with The Athletic, it was supposed to be a sit-down with Khris Middleton, however Giannis decided that he wanted to join in on the fun and answer a couple of questions too. Eric Nehm initially asked Middleton how he feels about basically becoming the middle man now that Damian Lillard is in the picture:
“How do you feel a guy that comes in, he’s an All-Star, top 75, first scorer of a team, and you’re left behind?” Giannis says to Middleton, breaking down his interpretation of Nehm’s question.
Middleton laughs it off and replies:
“Me being the third guy, I have no problem at all. I mean, these guys are going to make my life easier. I hope I can make their life a little bit easier.”
Then Giannis, in a rather serious tone, something he tries to keep up in this interview until he cracks a huge smile, gives his interpretation of Middleton’s answer:
“Stop, stop right there. So, you know what? Who gives a f-? I’ve been here on the team 14 years, 12 years, 11 years, going to be 14 at the end of my contract. I’ve made a lot of f— money. I won a chip for this team. At the end of the day, I’m going to get my 20 no matter what happens. They can all do the work, but I’m going to come in and do what I do. Take the ball down the stretch and score the ball. Next question.”
Obviously being playful, it shows that if everyone just sticks to their plan and do what works for them, everything is going to work out. It shows the level of confidence and trust that Antetokounmpo has with his teammates.
And while he doesn’t care about a hierarchy or tier system, no one is ranked better over another on the roster, Giannis has made it very clear that he’s a winner, he wants to win. However, he needs everyone to be on the same page as him. He told Marc J. Spears of Andscape that winning a championship comes first before loyalty:
“I always envisioned myself to be in Milwaukee for a long time…But at the end of the day, before loyalty, winning comes first. We are judged on winning. I am a winner. I want to win. And the words that I say, I feel like sometimes they’ve been taken out of proportion because I’ve said these words for four or five, six years now…We have to bring it every single day. I try to bring it everyday as much as I can. And I expect the same approach from the people next to me.”
It’s definitely a change of scenery for the MVP as Lillard now plays alongside him, Antetokounmpo even told the media that he’s not used to being this open, that he’s never seen anybody be double-teamed from the very first possession of the game.
Giannis has stated before that he’s willing to set screen for Lillard to get shots, and has shown that he’s willing to adapt to new roles if it means his teammates will succeed and their team can achieve greatness. It’s championship or bust at this point, and his Bucks’ teammates gotta get on the train if they want another ring.
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