Milwaukee Bucks: The significance of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s long-term extension

To bring clarity to the outlook of the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmp o has officially signed the supermax contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The wait is over. Giannis Antetokounmpo finally put all the speculation away by officially signing the anticipated five-year, $228.2 million supermax contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.

December 15th will be a day that the Bucks fanbase will religiously celebrate after agonizing upon this news for so long. By turning down the opportunity to play elsewhere and opting to stay loyal, Giannis’ long-term commitment holds major significance across the Milwaukee Bucks franchise, the league as a whole, and of course to Giannis and his family.

It’s been an incredible journey so far for the once skinny kid from Greece. From selling items on the streets at a young age to now earning the highest paid contract in NBA history, Giannis exemplifies what it means to be an influential figure. His supermax extension, which will trigger beginning next season, will surpass Russell Westbrook’s five-year, $206.7 million deal as the largest guaranteed contract in the NBA.

The Greek Freak continues to inspire others with his hard work, determination, perseverance, positive mentality, and desire to improve. He deserves every penny of the $256 million that he’ll be owed over the next six seasons.

Milwaukee has been his home ever since the Bucks drafted him No. 15 overall in the 2013 NBA Draft and seven seasons later, his love for the city and franchise still appear to be substantially strong.

Giannis had this to say following the press release of his multi-year extension with the Milwaukee Bucks:

"“This is a big moment for me and my family and I want to thank the Bucks organization for believing in us. You took a chance on us eight years ago and now putting my signature on a contract like this is unreal, but it’s all because of hard work. This is my home and I’m going to continue working hard and do my best to make the Bucks, our fans and the city proud. Let’s have fun, win and make these years count.”"

While this is a significant reward for Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family, his pledge to stay long-term is also a rewarding accomplishment for the Milwaukee Bucks and its organization.

The Bucks have successfully convinced Giannis that Milwaukee is a place where a bona fide superstar like him can raise a family, live graciously, and compete for championships. It seems as if Antetokounmpo has fallen in love with Milwaukee, and Milwaukee has fallen in love with him.

Mission accomplished for the Milwaukee Bucks

To the credit of the Bucks, every move that they’ve made over the last couple of years has related to complementing Giannis. The front office has prioritized building around the back-to-back MVP while making plenty of sacrifices and personnel changes to ultimately satisfy his wants and needs.

As a result, Giannis has become accustomed to the lifestyle in the city of Milwaukee and being the face of the franchise. Fiserv Forum was created to be Giannis’ kingdom, and he’s accepted how far the Bucks have gone in order to make him feel like he’s destined to be a Buck for the present and long-term future.

Since the Milwaukee Bucks are known as a ‘small’ market team, keeping a universal superstar of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s caliber goes beyond measures of importance. Many other small market teams have failed to maintain their stars, such as Carmelo Anthony in Denver, Kevin Durant in Oklahoma City, LeBron James in Cleveland, Anthony Davis in New Orleans, and the list goes on and on.

Throughout the recent past, the Bucks have always made it clear to express their craving to win while securing their key players. They will now hold the league’s most expensive duo with Giannis Antetokounmpo ($228.2 million) and Khris Middleton ($177.5 million) in terms of highest-valued NBA contracts.

Give Milwaukee some acknowledgement for creating a winning culture where stars now want to come be a part of compared to larger markets — as well as recognizing Giannis for being one of the few superstars that highly value the essence of loyalty.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are the only players in the history of the NBA to sign a supermax contract extension with a ‘small’ market team while also having been there their entire career. Lillard has publicly made it known how loyal he is and intends to be to the city of Portland and to the Blazers organization, and Giannis seems to feel the same way with the Milwaukee Bucks. They’re a different breed of superstars, and hopefully their actions will signify a preview of what’s to come with other developing stars.

Besides, having these generational talents stick within their smaller markets should be a good outcome for the NBA as a whole. It takes away the desire to form super teams, balances the competitiveness throughout the league, and raises the interest level across the globe.

Tuesday marked a massive win for the Milwaukee Bucks, the NBA, and the Antetokounmpo family.

Now that all the speculation of the four-time All-Star leaving Milwaukee can be put to bed, the Bucks can shift their main focal point back to chasing its second NBA championship in franchise history.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s super(max) commitment to extend his contract with the Milwaukee Bucks for the foreseeable future will go down as one of the biggest accomplishments for the organization, but there’s certainly more to come with the humble, motivated, hungry MVP leading the way.