In an interview by The Athletic on Wednesday, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo gave insight into what happened in the last nine months since the team moved on from Mike Budenholzer.
The team hired first-year coach Adrian Griffin on June 5 and led the team to a 30-13 record before being ousted after 43 games (one of the shortest tenures in NBA History.)
After Griffin’s firing, Milwaukee hired Doc Rivers, who played college basketball at Marquette and served as a consultant for Adrian Griffin to navigate his first year as head coach.
The move to hire Doc Rivers hasn’t paid off yet, as the team is 3-7 during his tenure and has slipped to third in the Eastern Conference with a 35-21 record.
While the adjustment to a new coach in the middle of the season has been challenging, Giannis laments that Doc Rivers and his staff have helped the team be more prepared.
Not only that, Giannis made a bold proclamation about his fellow All-Star Damian Lillard.
Milwaukee Bucks 2X MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready for this to be Dame’s team.
Go back to October 26, before Milwaukee’s first game against the Philadelphia 76ers, where TNT aired a sitdown between Chris Haynes, Damian Lillard, and Giannis.
Giannis said he was about winning and sacrifice. A couple of moments later, he dropped this line that surprised everyone.
“I might be here, but this is his team.”
The humbleness of Antetokounmpo spoke volumes. Giannis has been the team’s franchise player for the last eight years, but he was willing to take a backseat to help Dame win, which spoke to what kind of leader Giannis is.
Almost four months later, Antetokounmpo has not backed off that statement and spoke about how vital Damian Lillard will be to the Milwaukee Bucks for the rest of the season.
“I’m his biggest fan,” Antetokounmpo said. “Good or bad, I ride with Dame until the f-ing end. I ride with Dame. Like I’ve been saying over and over again. This. Is. His. Team. Down the stretch, he’s going to get the ball. There’s nothing else that we will do. I don’t know how else to put it. I don’t know what else to say.
“But at the end of the day, he has to believe it too.”
We’ve seen glimpses of Lillard being that guy. This game-winner vs Sacramento Kings on January 14 showed a window into Lillard being the go-to guy at the end of games.
DAMIAN LILLARD GAME WINNER VS KINGS pic.twitter.com/AxxsAbrdqL
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) January 15, 2024
There haven’t been too many Lillard vintage moments yet because Milwaukee hasn’t been in a position to call for Damian Lillard to be that guy yet.
The Dame and Giannis chemistry is slowly getting there. Now it’s time for both guys and the team to take off in the second half.
For More Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more content. To check out more top-tier Wisconsin Sports Content, click here!
