For the past few months, we have been dragged along by Giannis Antetokounmpo on whether he wants to leave the Milwaukee Bucks. He refuses to answer the question in a straightforward way. Giannis explains it like choosing what to eat for breakfast, one day wanting to eat Cheerios and the other wanting to eat Greek yogurt.
JUST ASK FOR THE DAMN TRADE GIANNIS.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the greatest NBA players of all time. He is one of the best playoff performers, and he brought the Bucks a title after almost 50 years. He deserves the right to ask out of a franchise on the decline. He has stayed and tried to drag this team back to the promised land, but as is the case with most NBA franchises, once you are sliding down the mountain, it is hard to reverse course. It is applaudable for his efforts, and as a Bucks fan you may be upset for a bit, but you can never hate the guy. He has spent 13 years in Milwaukee and has probably brought you your best times as a sports fan if you are a Bucks fan. Savor that moment and let Giannis be free. Let him go get another ring to get into the pantheon of all-time greats.
I am a Houston Rockets fan, and I remember going through the James Harden trade request cycle. I was so upset. He was acting out, wearing fat suits, and dribbling with his eyes closed to get a trade out of Houston. I felt that he should stay at first, but after all his antics, it was time for him to leave. I was so pissed at the whole situation, but after a while, my feelings changed. It was time for a change with the Rockets. We were never going to reach the finals with Harden and the current setup of the team. He brought some fantastic moments, but it was time for a change. Trading James Harden was the best decision the Rockets franchise made, and it ushered in this new era of Rockets basketball with an amazing young core contending for a title. It also gave Harden the opportunity to win a championship, which he deserved for what he did with the Rockets and the Thunder. He deserved to get that ring.
When Anthony Davis asked for a trade, there was not nearly as much will he, won’t he as with Giannis when AD was on the awful Pelicans. AD asked for the trade, and it happened. He did not try to tiptoe the line. AD knew that this was the chance for him to get a ring, and he went for it.
Shaq did this in 2004. Patrick Ewing did it in 2000, and in 1996, Charles Barkley asked for a trade to a contender. We do not remember these players as those who ran from the grind but instead as legends.
Sure, it is a great thing when a player is able to be on the same team for their entire career, but it is not a common thing. Below is a list of some notable players who have spent their entire career on one team:
- Dirk Nowitzki
- Kobe Bryant
- Tim Duncan
- John Stockton
- Reggie Miller
- Steph Curry
- Jerry West
- David Robinson
- Bill Russell
- Larry Bird
- Magic Johnson
There are two specific players missing from this list: Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Being on the same team for your entire career does not matter to your legacy, and Giannis needs to stop worrying about it and do what is best for him. It is more important in basketball to win rings than to be with the same team for your entire career.
The NBA is a player empowerment league. That is what makes it so amazing! Its players are the game. In the NFL and MLB, we do not know nearly as much about players, and the players do not represent the game. Both leagues are popular with or without the players who are playing, where the players drive popularity to the NBA. As a fan, I want to see Giannis play on a playoff team. I want to see him get another ring. We deserve it as NBA fans, and he needs to know that his legacy will not be tarnished. The league is built on different eras and changing team dynamics. It is what is exciting. We would have never seen LeBron on the Heat if he were too afraid of his legacy being tarnished by changing teams. We would never have Shaq’s rings with Kobe if he were afraid.
Ask out of Milwaukee and go chase a ring, Giannis. You deserve it.