Getty Images Giannis Antetokounmpo battles against LeBron James of the LA Lakers.
There’s been a lot of speculation that two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo could end up in Los Angeles, but the Milwaukee Bucks forward appeared to extend an olive branch to other superstars around the league to join him in the Cream City, including LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers,
While Speaking to Cosmote TV, Antetokounmpo stressed the importance of winning and that he would be open to working with another star, even if it diminished his numbers and usage.
“If LeBron, KD, or AD want to join me in Milwaukee, I will be happy,” Antetokounmpo said, per Harris Stavrou. “I don’t care about being number one, or number two, or number three.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo @ Cosmote TV just now: “If LeBron, KD, or AD want to join me in Milwaukee, i will be happy. I don’t care about being number 1, or number 2, or number 3”. More to follow…
Antetokounmpo also poured on the praise for James, who he beat out for the MVP last season.
“Kobe told me to sacrifice if I want to win and be great. LeBron is the best in the world, MVP is another story, I can tell that he is the best and my idol, he is 17 years in the league,” Antetokounmpo said.
Lakers Could be Setting Up Run At Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Lakers and Anthony Davis have taken a slowly-but-surely approach to re-signing talks, and it could have something to do with the team keeping an eye on Antetokounmpo — a player that the Lakers have had reported interest in for quite some time.
Antetokounmpo is weighing a super-max extension with Milwaukee that is set at five-year, $228 million. The deadline to sign is Dec. 21 deadline, or he’d be eligible to be a free agent next offseason.
If Davis takes a two-year deal with the second being a player-option, both he and James could opt-out and take a pay cut to make room for Antetokounmpo. ESPN senior writer Brian Windhorst spoke of the possibility during a spot on SportsCenter last week.
“It’s unusual for AD to delay his re-signing for this long. And one of the things he could be watching is what Giannis does,” Windhorst said. “If Giannis elects to sign the extension, we could see AD sign for longer. But if Giannis sets himself up to be a free agent next year — I know it seems hard to believe the Lakers could do it — but that could spur Anthony Davis to only sign a one-year contract with a player option, which is the kind of deal LeBron James is on, to leave flexibility in the Lakers payroll. There are a lot of people watching Giannis Antetokounmpo.”
Lakers Already Have One Antetokounmpo on Their Roster
GettyLos Angeles Lakers forward Kostas Antetokounmpo.
If Giannis does land in LA, he’d be the second Antetokounmpo to play for the historic purple and gold. The Lakers brought his younger brother, Kostas, back on a two-way deal this offseason.
Kostas will likely spend most of his time during the upcoming season in the G-League, but was with the Lakers in the bubble. Giannis was happy to celebrate his little brother’s first championship, despite being bounced earlier than expected himself.
“Ask Kostas how happy I was for him,” Giannis said. “When he called me as an NBA champion, it was 6 a.m. and I was holding champagne for him. We were all sleeping in a small room with my brothers and now … Imagine my mother’s feelings.”
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