Rumors have persisted throughout the NBA season that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is unhappy with the direction the franchise is heading, especially in light of its decision to cut bait with point guard Damian Lillard, and would like to be traded to a team more suited to title contention.
However, Giannis has given nothing but the most professional answers throughout the swirling answers, while not outwardly denying or confirming them, a testament to the superstar’s media training. He recently broached the topic again, and nothing has changed in his approach.
“If my agent is talking to the Bucks about it, he’s his own person. He can have any conversation he wants,” Antetokounmpo told reporters, according to ESPN.
“At the end of the day, I personally have not had the conversation with the Bucks. I’m still locked in, locked in on my teammates, most importantly locked in on me getting back healthy.”
Antetokounmpo said that the outside noise does not affect his craft or his attitude toward his teammates.
“It doesn’t affect my work,” Antetokounmpo said. “It doesn’t affect my relationship with my teammates, it doesn’t affect my relationship with my coach. It doesn’t affect my relationship with the GM. So, it doesn’t really bother me because they know what I’m about … right now, we cannot be worrying about what the [reports] are.
“Talking about [reports] and headlines, but at the end of the day we’re fighting for our lives. We’ve got to win a game.”
However, he did acknowledge that he has had conversations with some of his teammates regarding the situation, and that he was honest with them.
“I’ve had the conversation with the coach about it. I’ve had conversations with individual players about it. I’ve been approached by teammates who asked me about the [reports] because it might affect their own life and their own career and I’m straight with them whatever that answer may be.”
It’ll be interesting to see if Antetokounmpo finishes the season in the same jersey he’s currently sporting.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.