Giannis Antetokounmpo officially introduced by the Miami Heat

Giannis Antetokounmpo was officially introduced as a new Miami Heat player on Thursday, July 16, 2026, during a welcome ceremony at the team's arena in Miami. The two-time MVP stepped onto his new home court for the first time, greeted by fans chanting his name after a tour of his new city.

The move to Florida capped a trade completed a couple of weeks earlier: Miami acquired Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis Jr. from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware, Kasparas Jakučionis and draft capital. With the deal, team president Pat Riley adds another superstar to a long list of marquee acquisitions since he took over in 1995.

"I think this is just part of who the Heat are in the pursuit of excellence," Riley said. "But you don't win championships unless you have greatness on the court and on the bench. I'm just so excited for this challenge." Coach Erik Spoelstra, asked whether he wanted to coach the Greek star, gave a no-brainer answer of "Yes" when Riley raised the question.

Antetokounmpo, who entered the NBA in 2013, arrives in Miami with career totals of 21,531 points, 8,882 rebounds and 4,484 assists. He leaves Milwaukee as the franchise's all-time leader in points, more than 7,000 ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, after calling the city "my city, my team, my family."

At the news conference, the Greek star pointed to Lionel Messi, who joined Inter Miami three years ago, as a blueprint to follow: "They set the blueprint and you just got to follow." "I need pressure at this time of my career," he added. "In order to go to the next level, I've got to get out of my comfort zone — and I feel like Miami was the place for me to be."

Sources

https://apnews.com/article/heat-giannis-antetokounmpo-6f1eb29d22b2e28bbd920c6b74399f7f