Giannis Antetokounmpo - Extending now helps keep focus on basketball - ESPN

MILWAUKEE — Two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo says he signed his new three-year contract extension to remain in Milwaukee in order to keep the focus on basketball and not allow his future to loom over a team that hopes to win a championship this season.

«I knew in my heart that I wanted to stay,» Antetokounmpo said after practice Tuesday afternoon fresh off signing a new three-year, $186 million extension. «I don't want people when we lose a game to come back and say, 'Oh, Giannis is being irritated, he doesn't like what's going on, this, that, he's going to leave, blah, blah, blah.' No. The conversation right now is going to be straight basketball.»

Antetokounmpo's new deal bypasses potential free agency in 2025 and re-affirms his commitment to the franchise, where he is now signed until his player option for the 2027-28 season. The move sent shockwaves around the NBA just days before the 2023-24 season; it came as a surprise considering Antetokounmpo at the team's media day a few weeks earlier stated his desire to sign an extension next summer instead.

However, following the Bucks open scrimmage on Sunday in Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo said he began discussing possibilities with his family, including his brother, Thanasis, who is also on the team. Antetokounmpo initially planned to wait until next summer before extending his contract because he felt like he could earn more money by waiting, but the two brothers mapped out how he could maximize his earnings and still sign another short-term deal again with the Bucks in 2026 and another four-year extension in 2028.

«I think it was the smartest decision I could take for my family, the smartest decision that I could take for basketball,» Antetokounmpo said. «Like it's