During the NBA offseason, Giannis Antetokounmpo had a message for the Milwaukee Bucks. In separate interviews with The New York Times and the "48 Minutes" podcast, he stressed he would leave the Bucks if a better situation arose for him to win a championship. He also said he loved playing in Milwaukee and would welcome the opportunity to stay there if the team could show it was committed to a championship.
After emerging as the winner in the Damian Lillard sweepstakes, the Bucks had made it clear: They were going for another championship. And Antetokounmpo gave a nod of approval to the only team he's known since entering the league in 2013.
The Bucks and Antetokounmpo agreed to a three-year, $186 million deal. The contract includes a player option for the 2027-28 season. Before the deal, Antetokounmpo was on track to become a free agent in 2025. Now, he's with the team through the duration of Lillard's contract — and set himself up to maximize his potential earnings for the rest of his career.
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The NBA has an "Over-38 rule" in its collective bargaining agreement. The rule assumes players will retire by age 38, and any contract that would go past that age is treated as deferred money for salary cap purposes.
Because of that rule and the timing and length of this deal, Antetokounmpo, who will turn 29 this season, can still sign two more major contracts. He can ink a two-year deal with the Bucks in 2026, then sign a four-year deal in 2028, which would take him up to his age-38 season.
That gives him a chance to earn more money. The NBA's broadcast deal is almost up, and they're looking for a new deal worth $50 to $75 billion. The result of such massive numbers? Higher salary caps, meaning star players can sign bigger deals.
If Antetokounmpo simply waits until this deal expires in 2028, he'll likely miss out on an additional $20 to $50 million. Instead, he can set himself up for maximum long-term success by signing multiple new extensions along the way.
As for the Bucks, they can breathe easy knowing their star isn't going anywhere. Antetokounmpo is one of only three players in NBA history to win a regular-season MVP, a Finals MVP, and a Defensive Player of the Year award. The only other players to do that are Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Antetokounmpo hopes to do something else that Jordan and Olajuwon accomplished — winning multiple championships.
