Giannis Antetokounmpo is in the Philippines attending an event for Filipino youth, and yesterday someone in attendance asked him a tough question about team loyalty in the NBA. The Bucks’ star cephalopod has reportedly exclaimed that he wanted to play in Milwaukee for “20 years.” And here is his most recent statement on the subject, a warm and comforting tweet for any Bucks fan:
Yesterday’s reply, however, might feel a little more like an ice cube slipping down your spine:
Q.: We heard the same statement from Kevin Durant, that he’s loyal to OKC. And last week you tweeted there is loyalty in your DNA. So how long are you gonna stay with the Milwaukee Bucks?
A.: A lot of people say they’re going to stay with a team and decide to move with a different teams. But you guys always gotta remember, a guy might want to stay with a team, but the team doesn’t do the right things or the right moves for the player to become great. Because KD, the only reason he wanted to stay in OKC was to be the champs, right? So, did they won a championship? [shrugs] That’s why he decided to leave. If he won a championship [garbled]? Golden State. So always you have to not hate only the player, because sometimes it’s not up to the player.
It’s true, sometimes you have to hate everyone involved. Back in September, Antetokounmpo signed a four-year, $100 million extension with the Bucks. The 22-year-old is one of the most precious assets in the NBA, and the man most likely to the inherit the Eastern Conference after LeBron James’s eventual slowdown. Milwaukee, whose front office doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, would be wise to take Antetokounmpo’s remark about a team’s failure to “do the right things” to heart.