Giannis Antetokounmpo released what seems to be his exit interview with the Milwaukee Bucks, as the Miami Heat made the official announcement of acquiring him through a trade.
The Greek superstar sat down with the former Bucks broadcaster, Jim Paschke, and vividly addressed his emotions on the move in an interview that seems to have been recorded before Antetokounmpo found out that he’s heading to the Heat, but he knew that his time with the Bucks was over.
“I’m scared, oh boy, I’m scared. I’m scared of change. I’m scared that the grass is not always greener. I’m scared of, like, I have things; people love me here. People respect me here. People allow me to be myself here in the city, and I’m scared that I might never find that ever again.”
“But this is something that I wake up every single day, and only when I take my showers at night, and I think I’m like ‘maybe I waited too long’, you know? And I see guys playing deep into the playoffs, and I think, I’m like, ‘okay, maybe if I switch teams and I go somewhere else and I have a better opportunity, I can play deep in the playoffs and go try to chase another championship.”
“Because I really want that, and I’m scared that maybe if I don’t take that decision that when I’m going to be 37-38 years old hopefully and I’m retiring I’m going to say why, like ‘why didn’t you take that risk?’ you know? And people don’t understand it’s a risk.”
The former Bucks broadcaster responded by saying that Giannis Antetokounmpo will always have a place in Milwaukee to call home if he ever decides to return.
“That’ll be awesome if I can go and play and maybe come back. Kevin Garnett did the same thing. I saw this clip of him walking into the arena, and they gave him a standing ovation, and people to this day love him, and you know, some people don’t always [do that].”
What is surprising here is that Antetokounmpo is the same player who publicly claimed that he would never form a superteam to chase rings after his 2021 championship run. But now he’s seemingly backtracking and is opening up to the idea of joining a strong team to chase a ring.
“Change is scary, Mr. Jim. Change is scary. It’s not that easy. It’s different when you change your life for a better future for your family. Like I was scared that my brothers wouldn’t have a better education. My mom and my dad will have a better life because they deserve it. They work very hard. They sacrifice for us. I was like, I’m going to do this.”
“But now it’s like my kids are already going to an incredible school two minutes away from my house. My mom is happy. My wife is happy. You know, my brother’s, let’s say, is there on the team and like everything is good, but like you wake up some nights and you’re like, “Oh, I want to win.”
“And everybody’s happy. And I feel it like when you’re a competitor or when you are chasing something higher than you, you know, people say, ‘Oh, you have to be unselfish.’ But I really believe that you are selfish because you sacrifice every single day to the love of the game.”
“I might say no, I’m not selfish, but I’m selfish. I spend time away from my family, with my kids. I miss birthdays. I miss school activities. My wife has her own routine with the kids and running the whole show, and I go and chase one golden trophy because I say I’m going to do it, and when I said it, I said I’m not going to negotiate with myself, that you’ll be done, and now it’s the question like am I being selfish?”
“Never. I think my family sees me every single day, and they know when I’m happy. They know when I’m sad. They know how driven I am, and they know it will be a disservice not to allow Giannis to chase his goal because his goals and his dreams have brought the life that we have today.”
“And I believe that I’m a good leader and I’ve led my household and my family to a very good position, then I think they trust me to the end in whatever decision I make, but that’s when you are on the front line, you have that responsibility of others, right? So life doesn’t get easier, sometimes it’s tough.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo also released a tribute video with a monologue message for the city of Milwaukee following the official announcement of the trade.
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) July 6, 2026
It is a dream for almost any major NBA player to retire in the city that drafted them or with a farewell tour on the team where they left the biggest legacy. While Kyle Lowry disagrees, he is still reportedly expected to sign a one-day contract just to retire with the Raptors.
Even a player as great as LeBron James is considering potentially joining the Cavaliers not just to compete for a championship but also to get the flowers his career deserves while nearing its end.
This shows it is common among great players to have that sense of pride in retiring with the franchise that had the most faith in them. Especially those that brought the first NBA championship to the traditional ‘small market’ cities of Cleveland and Milwaukee.
They have already honored his legacy by announcing his jersey retirement. So they could welcome him back with open arms in free agency, but likely not if he comes with a hefty price tag.
Do you think Milwaukee will be open to the idea of bringing back Giannis Antetokounmpo one day just to retire? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
