Giannis Antetokounmpo is officially a Miami Heat player. The two-time NBA MVP and 2021 NBA champion was traded from the Milwaukee Bucks along with Bobby Portis in exchange for Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware, Kasparas Jakučionis and draft capital.
The deal — which Pat Riley called "one of the great trades in Heat history" — ends a 13-season era in Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo leaves as the Bucks' all-time leader in points (21,531), rebounds and assists, with a margin of over 7,000 points over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
"I want you to hear from my mouth, the city of Milwaukee will always be in my heart," Antetokounmpo said in a farewell video message. "This is my home, and this is a place that I had my kids. ... It made me the man that I am today. Milwaukee will always be my city, my team, my family."
The 10-time All-Star chose Miami seeking new challenges and a second championship. "I need pressure at this time of my career," he said during his introductory press conference. "I think in order for me 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."
Antetokounmpo cited Lionel Messi as his inspiration: "That's the blueprint. LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, they set the blueprint and you just got to follow, right?"
Pat Riley welcomed the superstar: "In my opinion, Giannis is one of the top five players in the league and Bobby is one of the best power forwards. The difficult part is trading Tyler, Kasparas, Jaime and Kel'el, who have given so much to this organization."
Coach Erik Spoelstra eagerly awaits coaching him: "A little while ago Pat called me into his office and he looked at me. He said, 'Do you want to coach Giannis?'" Spoelstra's no-brainer answer: "Yes."
Sources
- AP News — "Giannis bids Milwaukee farewell, trade to Miami is completed": https://apnews.com/article/giannis-antetokounmpo-trade-milwaukee-miami-d606b7462bdf659afea6ed8c40392401
- AP News — "Giannis arrives in Miami, looking to follow Messi's path to more titles and success": https://apnews.com/article/heat-giannis-antetokounmpo-6f1eb29d22b2e28bbd920c6b74399f7f
