Giannis Antetokounmpo

It's no secret that star players in the NBA recruit each other, and that process had reportedly begun with Giannis Antetokounmpo before the reigning two-time MVP decided to re-sign with the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Per ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Kevin Arnovitz, Antetokounmpo told Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry during a lunch meeting two days after they left the NBA campus about pitches he was receiving from players on opposing teams:

"They talked about players on other teams—ones Antetokounmpo thought would be right to acquire. And they discussed the other things, such as how Antetokounmpo had begun feeling the early stages of recruiting from other players in the league. At one point, sources said, Antetokounmpo even showed the Bucks' management text messages from stars on rival teams who appeared to be beginning their pitch."

One of the most famous incidents of player-to-player recruitment involved Kevin Durant and Draymond Green. 

Green went on Conan O'Brien's talk show in September 2016 to discuss how aggressively he pursued Durant for the Golden State Warriors (h/t NBC Sports' Dan Feldman):

"I recruited KD really, really hard. And it was like the equivalent of a college coach trying to get a top-five recruit—although I would've broke every NCAA rule there was, because I called him a million times. I text him a million and one times. And I tried to show up wherever he was every chance I got.

"When I found out he was coming, I came back to my senses, and I said, "I wonder if he respects me as a man now, the way I just blew his phone up." He had to have a girlfriend who got on his nerves worse than that before. So, I questioned myself."

Durant played a pivotal role in turning the Warriors into a dynasty with two NBA titles in three Finals appearances in each of his three seasons with the organization. 

Antetokounmpo was poised to become the biggest free agent on the market after the 2020-21 season if he didn't sign an extension with the Bucks. He just turned 26 on Dec. 6, has won back-to-back MVP awards and is coming off the greatest season in NBA history by Player Efficiency Rating (31.86), per Basketball-Reference.com. 

Instead, the Greek Freak decided to end any speculation about his future on Tuesday by announcing he was signing a five-year extension with the Bucks. That move came after Milwaukee added Jrue Holiday in a trade during the offseason to help the franchise get over the hump after two disappointing playoff losses.

Antetokounmpo's commitment to Milwaukee will keep the franchise competitive in the Eastern Conference for the foreseeable future. He is still chasing his first championship heading into his seventh season. 

The Bucks will tip off the 2020-21 regular season on Dec. 23 against the Boston Celtics. 

Washington Wizards All-Star guard Bradley Beal was among the players Giannis Antetokounmpo reportedly asked the Milwaukee Bucks to look into acquiring this offseason.

According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Kevin Arnovitz, Giannis identified Beal as a "desirable target."

While no Beal trade materialized, the Bucks did land another player who was reportedly on Antetokounmpo's list in former New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday.

Giannis was apparently pleased enough with the Bucks' improvements this offseason that he opted to sign a five-year, $228 million supermax extension this week.

Beal undoubtedly would have been a huge addition for Milwaukee because of his development into an elite offensive guard over the past few seasons.

The 27-year-old is coming off a career year in which he averaged 30.5 points, 6.1 assists and 3.0 three-pointers made per game, all of which were career highs. He also contributed 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest.

Instead of trading Beal, who is signed through at least the 2021-22 season, the Wizards traded John Wall and a future first-round pick to the Houston Rockets for Russell Westbrook, who played under head coach Scott Brooks with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Antetokounmpo and Beal may have made the Bucks the clear favorites in the Eastern Conference, but instead they are one of a handful of teams in the East with a legitimate chance to go all the way, including the Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors.

In Holiday, the Bucks added a 2013 All-Star who has played at close to an All-Star level in recent years, especially on the defensive end.

After averaging a career-high 21.2 points, 7.7 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game in 2018-19, Holiday put up 19.1 points, 6.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and a career-high 2.0 three-pointers made per game last season.

Now, the Bucks have a strong core comprised of Giannis, Holiday and Khris Middleton, which may finally be enough to get them over the hump and into the NBA Finals.

The road won't be easy, though, as the Heat are the reigning Eastern Conference champs, the Raptors won the NBA championship in 2019, the Nets will deploy a healthy Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and the Celtics boast arguably the deepest team in the conference.

Even so, Giannis clearly has a great deal of confidence in the team the Bucks front office has put together, and the two-time reigning NBA MVP is committed to going for a championship over the next several years.

Giannis Antetokounmpo remembers watching videos on social media of fans burning the jerseys of players who decided to leave their teams for something new, and he didn't want it to happen to him.

In an interview Wednesday, the star—who just signed a five-year supermax extension with the Milwaukee Bucks, said he didn't want that to happen to him or his fans.

"I didn't want to see kids burning my jersey," he told reporters. "... It's always nice, it's always good to see kids wear my jerseys. It's good that kids are gonna be able to come watch me play and stay in Milwaukee."

LeBron James previously spoke out about the trend after fans burned the jerseys of Isaiah Thomas and Gordon Hayward in 2017, when Thomas was dealt from the Boston Celtics to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Kyrie Irving and Hayward came to the Celtics after signing a four-year deal with the team in free agency.

James said the practice was "getting ridiculous now!"

Giannis Antetokounmpo signed a five-year, $228 million supermax contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks this week, a decision that will have huge reverberations around the NBA for years to come.

One possibility is that Milwaukee's chances to potentially entice stars to join the Greek Freak in Milwaukee will have improved with his long-term commitment. At least, Antetokounmpo is hoping that will be the result:

According to a report from Brian Windhorst and Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN, Antetokounmpo has traditionally avoided taking up the role of quasi-GM like other stars around the NBA. But during a meeting this offseason with Bucks co-governor Marc Lasry, the superstar reportedly delved more into the roster-building side of things than he has in the past:

"Over that three-hour lunch, Lasry had some of the more significant conversations about team-building he has shared with Antetokounmpo. They talked about current Bucks players. They talked about current Bucks coaches. They talked about free agents who were entering the market. They talked about players on other teams—ones Antetokounmpo thought would be right to acquire. And they discussed the other things, such as how Antetokounmpo had begun feeling the early stages of recruiting from other players in the league. At one point, sources said, Antetokounmpo even showed the Bucks' management text messages from stars on rival teams who appeared to be beginning their pitch."

The Bucks responded by making a huge splash, trading three first-round picks and two future first-round pick swaps for Jrue Holiday in a blockbuster deal. That deal was criticized by some at the time, given the assets Milwaukee gave up, though if it factored into Antetokounmpo's decision to sign his extension, then it can only be considered a massive success.

The team also tried to pull off a sign-and-trade for Bogdan Bogdanovic, though that fell through.

Regardless, the Bucks appear to be in a better position—with a Big Three of the Greek Freak, Holiday and Khris Middleton—than they were the past two years, when they finished as the top seed in the Eastern Conference but failed to reach the NBA Finals. The Bucks clearly demonstrated the desire to win championships that their two-time defending MVP was looking for:

As for Antetokounmpo's goals over the next five years?

"Have (more) kids and have a championship," said Antetokounmpo, whose first child, Liam, was born in February, per ESPN's Malika Andrews.

Whether the Bucks are actually able to win a championship remains to be seen. But the 26-year-old's long-term commitment undoubtedly will make it easier for Milwaukee to attract talent going forward. In a league where players often try to get to destination markets like Los Angeles, New York and Miami, the impact of arguably the best player in the world returning to a smaller market like Milwaukee can't be overlooked.

As it has become more difficult for small-market teams to retain superstar players in the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo is being praised for his decision to commit to the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Speaking to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, one executive for a Western Conference team praised Antetokounmpo for being "loyal" to the Bucks.

"It's a huge deal for Milwaukee to keep a star in a small market," the executive said. "It's nice to see kids still to this day stay loyal to their team as all the stars leave to line up with other stars, which puts an imbalance in our league. It's huge for the league and Milwaukee."

Antetokounmpo announced Tuesday he was signing a five-year extension with the Bucks:

Alex Saratsis, Antetokounmpo's agent, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that the reigning two-time NBA MVP's deal is for $228 million over five years with an opt-out after the fourth season. 

The signing put an end to any potential drama for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in their quest to win a championship this season. There would have been endless questions and speculation about the 26-year-old's future throughout the 2020-21 campaign if he decided to play out his deal and become a free agent next summer. 

Small-market clubs have often struggled to retain the best players in the NBA. LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers after the 2009-10 season, despite the team posting back-to-back years with at least 60 wins. He did return to the franchise four years later, led them to a title in 2015-16 but left again to join the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Antetokounmpo's situation wasn't entirely different from James the first time he left Cleveland. The Bucks have had the NBA's best regular-season record in each of the past two seasons, but they haven't been able to reach the Finals either time. 

The Bucks took steps to upgrade their roster this offseason, most notably with the acquisition of Jrue Holiday. Antetokounmpo appears to be happy with what they've done, as he will give them at least four more years to try and get over the playoff hump.

The Milwaukee Bucks shared a video message from Giannis Antetokounmpo after the two-time reigning NBA MVP announced he's signing a five-year supermax extension with the team. 

"I'm excited for today, big day today," Antetokounmpo said. "I'll be here in Milwaukee for the next five years. This is my home, this is my city."

The 26-year-old has forged a strong connection with the city of Milwaukee through his first seven seasons with the Bucks. Back in 2017, he explained to the New York Times' Marc Stein how he felt comfortable there.

"I'm a low-profile guy," he said. "I don't like all these flashy cities like L.A. or Miami. I don't know if I could be the same player if I played in those cities."

This past summer, Antetokounmpo was among the Bucks players publicly demonstrating as Americans across the country protested against police brutality and social inequality:

The last year and change have been nerve-racking for Bucks fans as Antetokounmpo's contract slowly wound down. Playoff disappointments and personnel mistakes were all viewed through the prism of how it might impact the decision of the team's best player.

On Tuesday, those in Milwaukee received an early Christmas present.

A reporter asked superstar LeBron James—who signed a two-year, $85 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason—about the five-year, $228 million supermax contract extension Giannis Antetokounmpo reportedly signed with the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. 

"I don't know if I can relate to his situation, all of our situations are different," James told reporters. "Totally different, actually. They tried to build something great for him and obviously they did enough to keep him there. I think it's great that he's staying there and he's committed to that franchise and that's what it's all about. … My situation and his situation, there's no similarities in it. It's totally different." 

Antetokounmpo, 26, is entering his eighth NBA season. It was ahead of James' eighth season that he shocked the NBA world by signing a six-year, $110 million contract with the Miami Heat, joining friends Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. 

At that point in his career, James didn't feel the Cleveland Cavaliers offered him the best route to a championship. He was correct, winning two titles in his four seasons with Miami before opting out of the remainder of his deal, returning to the Cavs and leading them to their first title in franchise history. 

Antetokounmpo, on the other hand, clearly believes the Bucks still offer him the best path toward winning a title, or at the very least wants to prove he can win one in Milwaukee. While the Bucks' offseason was tainted somewhat by a sign-and-trade for Bogdan Bogdanovic that fell apart, the team still improved with the addition of veteran guard Jrue Holiday. 

It was a costly addition for a player who appeared in just one All-Star Game, as the Bucks gave up three future first-round picks and two future first-round pick swaps. But if that move was enough to also convince the Greek Freak to sign his long-term extension, it was a price worth paying. 

Ultimately, Milwaukee's entire offseason—and frankly, the future of the franchise in general—hinged on Antetokounmpo's decision. The long-term commitment from the two-time MVP is enormous, much like James committing into the future for the Lakers was huge as well. 

Two players, two different situations, but two franchises very happy to have them.