MILWAUKEE (AP) — After 13 remarkable seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo is heading to the Miami Heat — and he’s not pretending the transition is easy.
As the trade was made official on Monday, Antetokounmpo released a nearly 37-minute video on YouTube in which he sat down with former Bucks broadcaster Jim Paschke to talk through his complicated feelings about leaving the only NBA team he has ever known. He also shared a shorter farewell message on social media directed at the city of Milwaukee.
“I’m scared that the grass is not always greener. … People love me here,” Antetokounmpo told Paschke during the interview. “People respect me here. People allow me to be myself here in the city. And I’m scared that I might never find that ever again.”
Still, the same competitive fire that drove him to deliver Milwaukee its first NBA title in 50 years ultimately pushed him toward this decision. The Bucks have not made it past the second round of the playoffs since winning the championship in 2021, and their last postseason series win came in 2022. Antetokounmpo, who will celebrate his 32nd birthday in December, said he found himself waking up each morning questioning whether a fresh start somewhere else might give him a better shot at another ring.
“I’m scared that maybe if I don’t take that decision, that when I’m going to be 37, 38 years old, hopefully and I’m retiring, I’m going to say: ‘Why? Why didn’t you take that risk?’” he said.
Few athletes have meant as much to a franchise as Antetokounmpo has to Milwaukee. Selected 15th overall in the 2013 draft as a slender 18-year-old, he grew into the “Greek Freak” — a two-time MVP and the most impactful player in Bucks history. He brought his entire family to Milwaukee as a young man, building roots in a city that embraced him, and eventually started his own family there as well.
“The city of Milwaukee will always be in my heart,” he said. “This is my home.”
During the conversation, Paschke asked what advice Antetokounmpo’s late father might have given him about this move. His father, Charles, passed away in 2017 and is buried in Milwaukee.
“My father would tell me go to an uncomfortable situation that can allow you to grow and chase your dream, no matter what,” Antetokounmpo said.
He departs as the Bucks’ all-time leader in virtually every major statistical category — points, rebounds, assists, blocks, games played, and minutes on the court.
His legacy in Milwaukee is defined in large part by the 2021 championship run. He hyperextended his knee during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals but sat out only two games before returning to earn NBA Finals MVP honors. He capped the run by scoring 50 points in the title-clinching Game 6 win over the Phoenix Suns.
Antetokounmpo reflected on what that championship has meant to the people of Milwaukee, describing how he began to grasp its significance through everyday encounters with fans on the street.
“You don’t understand it,” he said. “Until you take a break, take a pause and walk out on the street and people approach you and talk to you about it. That’s when you start realizing, ‘Man, man, man, man.’ It’s bigger than basketball. You made people feel something.”
Paschke, who spent 35 years broadcasting Bucks games before retiring following the 2020-21 season, made clear how deeply Antetokounmpo had touched the community.
“I think I need you to know that you’ve had such an impact on everyone,” Paschke told him. “I don’t even know if you realize the impact you’ve had.”
Bucks general manager Jon Horst addressed the trade in a statement, noting that Milwaukee received Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez, Kasparas Jakucionis, the draft rights to rookie Nate Ament, and several additional draft picks in the deal.
Horst described the move as the right outcome for both sides, but acknowledged the magnitude of what Antetokounmpo gave the franchise. “There are few players in the history of professional sports who have elevated a franchise, a city and a fan base the way Giannis Antetokounmpo has for Milwaukee and the Bucks,” Horst said.
“He became an ambassador for our city around the world and a source of pride for our entire state,” Horst added. “Through his generosity, authenticity and commitment to helping others, he touched lives throughout our community and inspired people across generations.”
Adding to the bittersweet nature of his departure is the fact that Milwaukee fans never truly got a proper goodbye. Antetokounmpo landed awkwardly on a dunk during a March 15 victory over Indiana and never returned to the court, sitting out the Bucks’ final 15 games of the season. He said publicly that he felt healthy and wanted to play, while the team cited a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise — leaving fans without a final moment to show their appreciation.
Still, Antetokounmpo did not close the door entirely on a return to Milwaukee someday. When Paschke mentioned that he would always be welcomed back, the 10-time All-Star said it “would be awesome if I could go and play and maybe come back.” He pointed to Kevin Garnett, who began and ended his career in Minnesota, as an example.
“I saw this clip of him walking into the arena, and they gave him a standing ovation, and people to this day love him,” Antetokounmpo recalled.
