Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo has ended any speculation about his future after agreeing to a supermax extension with the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Antetokounmpo's agent, Alex Saratsis, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski the two-time NBA MVP will sign a five-year, $228 million contract that includes an opt-out after the fourth season. 

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Antetokounmpo's new contract also includes a 15-percent trade kicker.

Antetokounmpo tweeted out a message about his decision to re-sign:

The Bucks seemed to be under immense pressure heading into next season because of Antetokounmpo's contract status. He would have been eligible for free agency after the 2020-21 campaign if he chose not to re-sign. 

Milwaukee is coming off two consecutive playoff disappointments after having the NBA's best regular-season record in each of the past two seasons. After taking a 2-0 series lead against the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals, the Bucks dropped four straight games. 

After going 56-17 during the shortened regular season in 2019-20, the Bucks were steamrolled in five games by the Miami Heat in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. 

Antetokounmpo was unable to play in Game 5 against the Heat because of a sprained ankle. Milwaukee's 103-94 loss prompted discussion about his future with the organization, but it wasn't something the 26-year-old was going to engage with. 

"Some see a wall and go in [another direction]," he told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. "I plow through it. We just have to get better as a team, individually and get right back at it next season."

Despite those postseason shortcomings, the Bucks are well positioned to remain among the best teams in the East. Head coach Mike Budenholzer has been able to maximize their talent during the regular season since taking over in May 2018. 

General manager Jon Horst acquired Jrue Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans, but it came at a steep price of Eric Bledsoe, George Hill and three first-round picks. 

Even though the roster doesn't look as deep as it has been, the Bucks' starting five with Antetokounmpo, Holiday, Middleton, Donte DiVincenzo and Brook Lopez can compete with any team in the NBA.

Antetokounmpo is the engine that makes the machine work. He joined Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players in NBA history to win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. 

During the 2019-20 season, Antetokounmpo set career-highs with 29.5 points and 13.6 rebounds per game. He also led the Bucks with 5.6 assists per game. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo won the NBA's last two MVP awards, but in a poll of league scouts and executives, he wasn't named the league's best player. 

In the survey, which was published Monday by ESPN's Tim Bontemps, seven of those surveyed selected LeBron James as the "best player in the NBA," while Antetokounmpo received just one vote.

Antetokounmpo also didn't get the most votes for 2021 MVP—that honor went to Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic. 

Speaking of Doncic, one Eastern Conference scout suggested he might have a chance to be in the running for MVP in the next few seasons, too.

"If you put a gun to my head and you have to go win a playoff series, I'd say LeBron," the scout said. "But I'll tell you what: That motherf--ker in Dallas is coming. ... That dude is going to win multiple MVPs."

The Eastern Conference executive who had the lone vote for Antetokounmpo said his vote would change depending on what exactly the question was referring to.

"If we're talking about the best player over the course of a season, I'm not picking LeBron. If we are talking about in the playoffs, it's probably LeBron, because he always is."

James added 25.3 points with a league-leading 10.2 assists to go with 7.8 rebounds last season as the Lakers won the NBA championship. He tallied 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.8 assists in the postseason, averaging 36.3 minutes per game. 

Antetokounmpo, who is heading into his eighth year in the league, posted a career-best season with 29.5 points and 13.6 rebounds, adding 5.6 assists through 30.4 minutes per game for the Bucks, who fell in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Miami Heat. 

For what it's worth, Doncic, who earned his first All-Star nod last season in his sophomore campaign, posted 28.8 points and 9.4 rebounds with 8.8 assists in 33.6 minutes for the Mavericks, who fell to the Clippers in the first round of the postseason. 

The NBA hasn't seen a player collect three straight MVPs since Larry Bird in 1986. Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo might be an underdog in the MVP race despite lifting the trophy in 2019 and 2020.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps canvassed a group of eight NBA scouts and executives. Four selected Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic to win MVP, while Antetokounmpo only garnered a solitary vote. Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic got two votes, and Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard rounded out the field with one vote.

Voter fatigue is a real thing; otherwise, LeBron James and Michael Jordan would probably have more than nine MVPs before them.

Antetokounmpo fading from the MVP conversation a bit may not be a bad thing for the Bucks, either, because it could signal he's getting more support from Khris Middleton and the recently arrived Jrue Holiday.

Calling the Mavericks a one-man show wouldn't accurately reflect on the situation in Dallas, but the team figures to be centered around Doncic more than how Milwaukee will be handling Giannis.

"It's hard to see Giannis winning three in a row," one scout from the Western Conference said to Bontemps. "And I think there's more of an opportunity for Luka to kind of put on an MVP show and do more on an individual basis."

Doncic had the numbers to be MVP in 2020, averaging 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists while shooting 46.3 percent from the field. The Mavericks' record prior to the NBA restart (40-27) made it tough for him to break through, though.

Should Dallas improve, Doncic will vault to the top of the field.

Jokic finished ninth in the voting, so he'd need to outshine quite a few players to be recognized. The 25-year-old will also need to buck recent history.

Centers once dominated the league, something reflected in the MVP winners. Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Moses Malone wound up on top 18 combined times from 1956-83. Dave Cowens, Bill Walton and Willis Reed were among the other big men to be honored.

Then NBA strategy shifted with the success of Bird, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson and the implementation of the three-pointer. Shaquille O'Neal is the last center to win MVP, and that was all the way back in 2000.

Sooner or later, the position will be represented on the MVP podium as centers adjust to the current trends. Jokic makes more sense than any other active player to end that 20-year drought.

A Stephen Curry rookie card sold for $611,000 Sunday morning at Goldin Auctions:

The jersey patch card was rated a 9.5, with a perfect 10 on the edges. It helped contribute to the highest-priced Curry item ever sold.

It still falls well short of the modern NBA record for cards, with a Giannis Antetokounmpo rookie card selling for $1.812 million in September, per TMZ Sports.

Curry, drafted seventh overall in 2009, is a three-time champion and two-time MVP. He is also well on his way to becoming the all-time three-point king, currently ranking third in NBA history with 2,495 made threes.

As he continues to pad his resume, Curry-related items could gain even more value in the future.

A Giannis Antetokounmpo rookie card sold for $1,168,500 early Sunday morning at Goldin Auctions:

The card was rated a 9.5, featuring a perfect 10 for the edges and corners.

An even rarer Giannis rookie card set the record for the highest-priced basketball card in modern history, selling for $1.812 million in September, per TMZ Sports. It edged the previous record of $1.8 million for a LeBron James card earlier this year.

With another card going for seven figures, it's clear the Antetokounmpo market will continue to soar.

Though he doesn't yet have the resume of James or Michael Jordan, the Milwaukee Bucks star is well on his way to an incredible career with two MVP awards, a Defensive Player of the Year award and four All-Star selections.

The 26-year-old was a relative unknown during his rookie season, averaging just 6.8 points per game after being selected No. 15 overall in the 2013 NBA draft. It likely created limited demand for rookie cards at the time, making it an even rarer item for collectors.

The ones that survived seven years later in mint condition should have incredible value going forward.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has 10 days left to sign a supermax extension with the Milwaukee Bucks, and whether or not he does may have a dramatic impact on James Harden's trade market. 

According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, teams are waiting to discuss any potential deals for the Houston Rockets guard to see if the back-to-back MVP's negotiations fall through in Milwaukee.

"[Teams are] not going to necessarily go all-in on a Harden trade, or even get serious about talking about it, until they know what's going to happen with Giannis," Windhorst said on SportsCenter. "It may be a situation, some of these teams may want to save their assets to see if Giannis might truly be on the market next summer."

The Bucks offered Antetokounmpo a five-year, $228 million deal to remain in Milwaukee but haven't been able to add much around him this offseason. A sign-and-trade deal for Bogdan Bogdanovic fell through just ahead of free agency, and the team saw Robin Lopez and Wesley Matthews sign elsewhere. 

As Antetokounmpo weighs whether or not he can win in Milwaukee, Harden is doing his best to get out of Houston. 

"This is not something we've seen often in the NBA," Windhorst said. "Two MVP-type guys with uncertain futures, but the reward is so high teams are going to hold back and watch to see how things develop."

According to Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic, Harden has reportedly asked to be dealt to the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat or the Bucks. 

How much those contenders are willing to give up to acquire Harden—should they begin formal discussions—remains to be seen. 

The NBA regular season kicks off December 21. It's looking like Harden can expect to remain on the Rockets by then unless Antetokounmpo signs his extension. 

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who will enter free agency in the summer of 2021 if he does not sign a supermax deal with his current team, reportedly values winning over playing in a big market, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

On Thursday's episode of The Woj Pod (h/t RealGM), Wojnarowski discussed Giannis' mindset:

"The challenge for the Bucks is just selling him on winning. I know this about Giannis: his decision is not about wanting to be in a big market and have all the trimmings that come with Los Angeles or New York or wherever it is. I don't think that's part of his decision making. I think at his core he's immensely loyal. I believe he loves the people in Milwaukee. Loves that community. He loves the organization. But he wants to win and that's what he's weighing."

The reigning back-to-back MVP is eligible to sign a five-year "supermax" extension with the Bucks until Dec. 21, the day before the season begins. 

The Bucks and Antetokounmpo haven't come to terms on a supermax deal yet. However, Wojnarowski said that people shouldn't necessarily assume it will fail to come to fruition.

Milwaukee has earned the NBA's best regular-season record each of the past two seasons but has fallen short in the Eastern Conference playoffs both times.

Milwaukee has retooled this offseason, notably trading George Hill and Eric Bledsoe and adding combo guard Jrue Holiday, who posted 19.1 points, 6.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game last season. He'll form a new big three with Antetokounmpo and All-Star wing Khris Middleton.

The Bucks should be in the middle of a tough Eastern Conference title race, with contenders such as the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors fighting for the NBA Final berth.

Milwaukee shouldn't have any trouble winning games this year, even if a third straight season with the league's top win-loss record appears more unlikely than not. Any team with Antetokounmpo should be in title contention territory at this point, though.

Other title contenders should be in line to sign Antetokounmpo if he enters free agency. Of note, the defending Eastern Conference champion Heat reportedly are interested, per Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

For now, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will look to make the franchise's first NBA Finals since 1974. They open their season on Wed., Dec. 23 at the Celtics.

Among the dozens of new releases set to hit the Disney+ streaming service over the next few years are a number of titles inspired by sports figures.

On Thursday, Disney announced a trio of original movies based on the lives of NBA stars Chris Paul and Giannis Antetokounmpo as well as former Oregon wide receiver Keanon Lowe.

Lowe, an offensive analyst for the UCLA football team, was thrust into the spotlight in 2019 when he tackled an armed student at the Portland, Oregon, high school where he worked as a security guard, football and track and field coach. 

Disney didn't reveal the exact plots or release dates, but it announced that a new movie, Safety, would be available on Disney+ beginning Friday. According to the company, the film is inspired by former Clemson safety Ray McElrathbey, who became the legal guardian of his then-11-year-old brother as a redshirt freshman in 2006. 

The Milwaukee Bucks may be looking and acting like a "championship or bust" organization, but their MVP apparently disagrees.

"I don't believe this is a championship-or-bust situation. [But] nobody wants to win a championship more than me," Giannis Antetokounmpo told reporters Wednesday at his media session.

The Bucks acted like a franchise with its proverbial back against the wall this offseason, trading five draft picks (three first-round picks and two swaps) as part of a deal that landed them Jrue Holiday. They also took a swing-and-miss at a sign-and-trade for Bogdan Bogdanovic and made a series of odd, cap-related errors that were arguably more signs of the understandable desperation permeating in Milwaukee. 

Antetokounmpo's comments are both a necessary way to quell public scrutiny and a little odd, given he is the reason the Bucks are absolutely feeling "championship or bust" potential. If this were a championship-or-bust situation in Antetokounmpo's eyes, the ink would have been dry on the supermax contract that's been sitting in front of him for weeks.

Instead, Giannis has given no indication he plans to sign the contract that would pay him around a quarter of a billion dollars and keep him in Milwaukee for five more seasons. He has until Dec. 21 to make that decision, but the fact that the deal has not been signed yet is a decent indication Giannis doesn't want to put all his eggs in the Milwaukee basket.

That creates pressure that is both understandable—Giannis desperately wants a championship, with the Bucks or not—and potentially crippling. The Bucks folded in each of the last two postseasons.

While Holiday is often mentioned by players as the game's most underrated star, he has one All-Star selection to his name (in 2012-13, no less) and has never made an All-NBA team. It's fair to wonder if his acquisition is enough to put Milwaukee over the top.

If it's not, the Bucks' big offseason bet may go bust.