Giannis Antetokounmpo may have left Milwaukee for Miami, but his connection to the city where he spent his entire NBA career isn’t going anywhere.
After deciding to take on a new challenge with the Heat, Antetokounmpo opened up about his departure and why he was willing to leave the familiarity of Milwaukee behind during an appearance on the popular Greek show AnesΤea The Podcast.
“The easy thing would be to stay in Milwaukee, but I don’t want to be comfortable,” Antetokounmpo said. “From a small child, I want always to have new, new challenges. And for me, this is a challenge, that I go somewhere where I don’t know, I don’t have experience, I don’t have a home, I don’t have found school for my children, I don’t know where the parks are, I don’t know who the manager is, I don’t know who I play with. I will go there and I will try to make it happen, as I went to Milwaukee and I made it happen. And for that, for me, it excites me, it likes me, that is, from a small child, I always liked the challenge…
“The city of Milwaukee, I love the city of Milwaukee. I will love it until I die. I bleed purple and green. It’s very simple. They made me who I am today… And, anyway, and basketball-wise, I passed very beautifully. And that will always be in my heart. It will never, it doesn’t matter if I play in Mars. It will always be in my heart, and, luckily, when I finish this cycle with Miami, which I don’t know when it will end, and if, I will definitely return to Milwaukee, and I don’t know if they want me then.”
Antetokounmpo’s first return to Milwaukee in a Heat uniform is scheduled for Jan. 28, setting up what should be one of the most anticipated games of the season.
The two-time MVP delivered Milwaukee its first championship in 50 years in 2021 and established himself as one of the greatest players in franchise history.
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