- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,194,575
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Giannis Antetokounmpo is speaking out about his move to Miami
- The NBA vet spent 13 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks
- Antetokounmpo said he is “scared” about starting over with a new team
Giannis Antetokounmpo is “scared” about starting a new chapter.
In a wide-ranging interview with Jim Paschke, the longtime announcer for his former team the Milwaukee Bucks, Antetokounmpo said he is looking ahead to his future with the Miami Heat — and that he fears he may not have the same experience as he had for his first 13 seasons in the league.
“I’m scared that the grass is not always greener. … People love me here,” Antetokounmpo, 31, said in the interview. “People respect me here. People allow me to be myself here in the city. And I’m scared that I might never find that ever again.”
Antetokounmpo was traded last month, along with teammate Bobby Portis, to the Heat in exchange for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and three first-round draft picks.
For the beloved big man, making the decision to begin again with a new team meant trusting the process, and acknowledging an alternate reality where he didn’t make the leap.
“I’m scared that maybe if I don’t take that decision, that when I’m going to be 37, 38 years old, hopefully and I’m retiring, I’m going to say: ‘Why? Why didn’t you take that risk?’ ” Antetokounmpo said.
Follow your favorite athletes on and off the field with PEOPLE’s free sports newsletter — sign up now!
Among those who the center, lovingly known as the Greek Freak, called upon to be okay with it all? His late father Charles, who encouraged him to not always take the easy route.
You must be registered for see images attach
Giannis Antetokounmpo played 13 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Credit: Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Gett
“My father would tell me, go to an uncomfortable situation that can allow you to grow and chase your dream, no matter what,” Antetokounmpo said of his dad, who died in 2017.
As for a return to Wisconsin, the door is slightly ajar, he said.
The NBA star noted former NBA great Kevin Garnett’s path which came full circle with an eventual return to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After his NBA days are done, Antetokounmpo teased last fall that he may return to his native Greece to close out his career.
“I’m 30 years old, I can play in the NBA until I’m 36-38. I’d like to end my career in a Greek team, why not?” the Nigerian-Greek player said in an October 2025 guest spot on ANT1’s The 2night Show.
“I don’t want to live in the United States,” he said. “As soon as I leave the NBA, I want to return to Greece.”
Read the original article on People
Continue reading...
