Hours after Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was announced as an All-Star for the 10th time in his NBA career on Monday, reporters asked how confident he is in finishing the season in Milwaukee.
“I don’t know, I take it day by day,” Antetokounmpo said, following a 112-110 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, in which he helped Milwaukee end its three-game skid with 21 points and 17 rebounds.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Expected To Stay Put
When asked about trade rumors ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline, Giannis added, “I can’t control that, I can’t control what other teams do. I just try to focus on doing my job, which is to compete and try to win games.”
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported in December that “Antetokounmpo and his agent Alex Saratsis are having conversations with the Milwaukee Bucks about the two-time NBA MVP’s future — and discussing whether his best fit is staying or a move elsewhere.”
During Bucks media day before the season, Antetokounmpo expressed his desire to win a second NBA title and confirmed reporting from Charania that he was “open-minded” over the summer about exploring whether his “best long-term fit” was in Milwaukee or somewhere else.
“The same thing I’ve been saying my whole career, I want to be in a team that allows me and gives me a chance to win a championship,” Antetokounmpo said then. “I think it’s a disservice to basketball, just to the game, to not want it to compete in a high level, to want your season to end in April.”
By the sounds of it, Antetokounmpo will likely finish the season with the Bucks.
Bucks Fans Have Booed Team At Home
Giannis was also asked during the interview about the boos the Bucks received at home. The Greek Freak has been enjoying every minute of it: “It felt great! I don’t know, for some reason I enjoy being the villain this year.”
With Milwaukee trailing by more than 30 points heading into halftime of last Tuesday’s 139-106 blowout loss to the Timberwolves, the fans at Fiserv Forum booed the Bucks as they exited the court.
After Antetokounmpo scored the first basket of the third quarter, a layup over Wolves forward Julius Randle and a foul that knocked the Bucks star to the court, he finally responded to the boos.
Giannis was spotted giving two thumbs-down and booed the Milwaukee crowd as he sat on the court underneath the basket. He said after the defeat that it was the first time he can remember being booed at his home arena.
The Bucks host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.
