Giannis Antetokounmpo to sign record-breaking extension with Milwaukee Bucks
Exhale, Bucks fans.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, the reigning back-to-back NBA MVP, said Tuesday that he's reupping with the Milwaukee franchise and will stick around for the next five years. The Athletic's Shams Charania reports the extension is a 5-year deal (ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski adds Antetokounmpo can opt out after the fourth year), and it's projected to be worth around $228 million, though the exact figure will depend on how much the salary cap increases for the 2021-22 season. Either way, it marks the largest contract in NBA history.
Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have enjoyed great success over the past two seasons, finishing with the best record in the league both times, but speculation swirled that the 26-year-old's tenure in Wisconsin was coming to end after the team failed to live up to postseason expectations. Set for free agency after this upcoming season, it seemed like several other franchises, including the Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, and Dallas Mavericks, were gearing up to make a run at him, but Antetokounmpo put the rumors to rest. "This is my home, this is my city," he tweeted Tuesday, referring to Milwaukee. Tim O'Donnell
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
'The House under GOP rule has become a hostile workplace'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal is about more than bad bets
In The Spotlight The firestorm surrounding one of baseball's biggest stars threatens to upend a generational legacy and professional sports at large
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Feds raid Diddy homes in alleged sex trafficking case
Speed Read Homeland Security raided the properties of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published