According to Giannis Antetokounmpo, it was his own brother, Thanasis, who convinced him to sign his contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks this summer instead of waiting until next year. The seven-time All-star stated earlier in the offseason that he intended to wait until next summer to extend his deal, but apparently, his older brother talked some sense into him.
Thanasis’ Role in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks Extension
Speaking to Bucks beat reporter Eric Nehm of The Athletic in a recent interview, Giannis shed more light on how his big brother influenced his decision to commit his future to Milwaukee. Actually, you could say that Antetokounmpo likely would not have put pen to paper on a new deal had it not been for Thanasis.
“Obviously, I trust Thanasis to death,” Giannis said Tuesday. “Me and Thanasis, we haven’t separated ourselves since I was born. We were always there. He always looks out for me and has my back in so many ways. I have his back in so many ways. It’s a judgment that I trust blindly.
“… He came to me and told me that this would make sense. He knows me as a brother, a lot of people know me just as a basketball player. It’s going to take a lot of things off your plate. You’re going to take care of your family, be able to build generational wealth for your grandkids, kids. Make you just focus on things that make you happy. What makes you happy? We both know, it’s basketball.”
As Giannis implied in his statement, his brother’s argument stemmed from the fact that Giannis would be able to make more money down the road if he signed a contract now. By doing so, the seven-time All-Star will be in a position to potentially sign two more big-money deals in the future, which is expected to play out until he’s 38.
Do What Makes You Happy
At the end of the day, Giannis also wanted to get his contract out of the way. There was a lot of talk surrounding his future in Milwaukee, which to be fair, he pretty much brought upon himself when he hinted at his looming Bucks exit.
Now that the contract saga is over — for now at least — Antetokounmpo can now focus on doing the things that he loves:
“I like to be good in what I do. I like to be successful. I like to be able to play at a high level,” he said. “That’s what brings joy to my life — and obviously spending time with my family and being with my kids brings me a lot of joy too. But being good in what I do, I want to spend a lot of time on the court — blood, sweat, tears and all that — like I want to be good at it too. Right now, my main focus is just that. It’s not contract talks. It’s not team talks. It’s just basketball. That’s how I want it to be. That’s the advice my family gave me also. So, yeah, I took it.”
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