Giannis Antetokounmpo – File Photo / Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
With the December 21 deadline approaching, superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo gave the Milwaukee Bucks an early Christmas present, signing a five-year contract extension with the team, worth an NBA record $228.2 million.
Besides making Giannis the highest paid player in the game, the deal shows the Bucks, the City of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin that he is all in to bring a championship to the “Cream City”.
In a tweet announcing the deal, Giannis wrote, “This is my home, this is my city, I’m blessed to be able to be a part of the Milwaukee Bucks for the next 5 years. Let’s make these years count. The show goes on, let’s get it.”
Antetokounmpo just turned 26-years-old (Dec. 6) and has already won back-to-back MVP awards, as well as the defensive player of the year last season. He’s been named all-NBA each of the last four years.
The Bucks superstar had previously signed a four-year, $100 million extension back in 2016 and had one year left on his current deal.
The Bucks went out and acquired guard Jrue Holiday from New Orleans in a trade and reshaped their roster to try to get them past some of the issues that saw them fail to reach the finals for a second straight year last year.
Now the clock is ticking for the Bucks, who haven’t been to the NBA finals since 1974. They won their only NBA Title in 1971.