When Giannis Antetokounmpo first declared his intention to leave the Milwaukee Bucks, a couple of teams immediately popped up in the rumor mill. One of them was the New York Knicks, with the big-market appeal in The Big Apple supposedly piquing the interest of the former back-to-back MVP.
ESPN golden boy and self-proclaimed Knicks die-hard fan Stephen A. Smith has now chimed in on this prospect, and unsurprisingly, the renowned broadcaster has a pretty strong opinion about all this.
Stephen A Smith Praying for Giannis Antetokounmo’s Move to New York Knicks
Speaking on a recent episode of ESPN’s First Take, Smith made his feelings about Giannis’ potential move to New York abundantly clear. According to Stephen A, his Knicks have a real shot at landing Antetokounmpo if and when he decides to jump ship:
“If he is agitated and he’s willing to leave, the New York Knicks might have a chance of getting help,” Smith said (h/t Mike Murillo of sportskeeda). “We need all the help we need and I’m a die-hard, lifelong New York Knicks fan. We need a superstar in New York City. I pray for Giannis to come to New York.”
Honestly, though, this sounds more like hopeful thinking/desperate longing on Smith’s end as opposed to the ESPN analyst actually citing one of his ever-reliable sources. If Stephen A actually has some insider knowledge on Giannis’ desire to take his talents to New York, then the broadcaster chose not to cite them in his statement above.
Milwaukee Bucks in Real Danger of Losing Giannis Antetokounmpo
It’s not as if Giannis Antetokounmpo will be leaving the Bucks tomorrow, though. The seven-time All-Star has already declared his loyalty to Milwaukee, albeit with a massive caveat.
Right now, it’s all about winning a second championship for the 28-year-old. So long as he believes this is still something he can achieve with the Bucks, then he won’t be going anywhere. At the same time, however, Antetokounmpo has also said outright that he will pack up and go the moment he feels that his title aspirations no longer align with those of the organization.
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