Giannis Antetokounmpo Seeks ‘Another Championship’ With Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo reiterated his desire to win a second NBA title Monday and confirmed reporting from ESPN’s Shams Charania that he was “open-minded” over the summer about exploring whether his “best long-term fit” was in Milwaukee or elsewhere.

“The same thing I’ve been saying my whole career, I want to be in a team that allows me and gives me a chance to win a championship,” said Antetokounmpo. “I think it’s a disservice to basketball, just to the game, to not want it to compete in a high level, to want your season to end in April.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo Eyeing Another Championship

In 2021, the Bucks clinched their second NBA title and first since 1971.

However, Milwaukee has now been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in three consecutive seasons. This means the 30-year-old Antetokounmpo has not played in a game beyond the first round since 2022.

“It’s not the first time. I had the same thoughts last year,” Antetokounmpo said. “I had the same thoughts two years ago. And I had the same thoughts five years ago. It is never going to change. I want to be among the best. I want to compete with the best, and I want to win another championship.”

Antetokounmpo reportedly missed media day and is sitting out the start of training camp after testing positive for COVID-19.

On Monday, Antetokounmpo expressed some rare enthusiasm this summer during a video call from Greece when speaking about the state of the Bucks roster.

Giannis Antetokounmpo joins #Bucks media day from Greece, where he is recovering from COVID.

“Me personally, I’m feeling good. My confidence is at an all-time high right now.”

“We have a young team. A team that’s going to play very very hard, that’s going to play fast.” pic.twitter.com/9ZozRsffvM

— Karl Winter (@KarlWinterTV) September 29, 2025

“I deal with what I have in front of me,” he said. “I think it’s a great team. It’s a sleeper, and a lot of people might not take it serious, but I think we are a very, very dangerous team.”

Despite Antetokounmpo’s willingness to leave the NBA franchise to win a second ring, Bucks managing governor Wes Edens remains confident in Antetokounmpo’s ability to lead the team.

“He made it clear that he was very committed to Milwaukee,” Edens said Monday. “He likes being here, likes his family being here. And he thinks that the team is — obviously we’ve had some kind of bad fortune in these last couple of years in the playoffs — but there’s a lot of positives.”

Bucks Added Myles Turner, Cole Anthony

During this offseason, the Bucks signed veteran big man Myles Turner, hoping to address their interior defense and add some floor spacing, and added former Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony.

Milwaukee also re-signed forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo, the older brother of the two-time NBA MVP. The 33-year-old missed the entire 2024-25 season due to a torn Achilles tendon.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has played all 12 of his NBA seasons with Milwaukee, and he averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game last season.

Earlier this month, Antetokounmpo led Team Greece to a bronze medal during the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 tournament, playing alongside his two brothers in an experience he called “the greatest basketball accomplishment” of his life.