Giannis Antetokounmpo has a plan for his playing future — and it might not include the Milwaukee Bucks.
The two-time MVP, who led the Bucks to a championship in 2021, recently said on the “48 Minutes” Bleav podcast he is prepared to leave Milwaukee for a better situation if he doesn’t see a commitment to winning from his current team.
“As long as we play and we approach the game every single day the right way and we all sacrifice for a common goal, I can see myself being with the Milwaukee Bucks for the rest of my career,” the 28-year-old Antetokounmpo said.
“But the moment I feel like people are not committed as I am to get that golden thing in the back … I am a Milwaukee Buck, but most importantly, I am a winner. I want to win.
“I have to do whatever it takes for me to win, and if there is a better situation for me to win the Larry O’Brien [championship trophy] I have to take that better situation.”
This isn’t the first time Antetokounmpo has cast doubt on his future with the Bucks after Milwaukee’s first-round playoff ouster by the Miami Heat in April.
Last month, the Greek superstar told The New York Times he will not be looking to sign a new contract this season — and emphasized the importance of sacrifice from the organization.
Milwaukee fired head coach Mike Budenholzer after the team’s early postseason exit.
Antetokounmpo, who has two more years and a player option left on his current contract, is eligible for a three-year extension worth $173 million in September.
ESPN senior NBA writer Brian Windhorst said in May the league is monitoring the Bucks’ situation this offseason due to “uncertainty” surrounding Antetokounmpo — and named the Knicks as a team with quiet interest in the seven-time All-Star.
Elsewhere on the “48 Minutes” podcast, Antetokounmpo explained that contracts are the least of his worries, in contrast to his desire to win — wherever that may be.
“At the end of the day I want to be a winner,” he said. “Contracts, fame … comfort zone, does not matter to me. What matters at the end of the day is [the Larry O’Brien trophy] … I don’t want to be able to get stuck in this lifetime to keep talking about the same story.”
Antetokounmpo added he hasn’t played basketball all offseason due to a procedure he underwent on his knee.
“I’m getting slowly back on the court now, so hopefully I can be back and ready for training camp with the team and I can participate in the preseason games, because I miss it,” Antetokounmpo said.
“The last taste I have in my mouth is bitter from that game,” he explained, referencing the Bucks’ 128-126 Game 5 overtime loss to the Heat.
Antetokounmpo added on the podcast that the team “did not accomplish our goals and we played bad basketball.”
“My injury in the first game played a big part of my rhythm and in the team’s rhythm,” he said.
“But me personally, I’m coming back in locked in. I want to come back and enjoy the game. I want to go out there and have as much fun as I can and go at guys.”
The Bucks have struggled in the postseason after winning the championship in 2021, when they topped the Phoenix Suns.
Milwaukee was eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals the following year.
The Bucks host the Bulls in their first preseason game Oct. 8.
