A real mega-buck: Giannis agrees to $186M extension

FILE – Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) dribbles the ball during the first half of Game 4 in a first-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Miami Heat, Monday, April 24, 2023, in Miami. Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has undergone surgery on his left knee during the offseason, but new Milwaukee coach Adrian Griffin says the two-time MVP still should be available during training camp. Griffin confirmed Wednesday, July 5, 2023 after a practice by the Bucks’ summer league team that Antetokounmpo had undergone the procedure. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, File)

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $186 million, multiple US media reports said on Monday.

The two-time National Basketball Association (NBA) Most Valuable Player’s new deal will see him remain with the Bucks until at least the end of the 2026-2027 season.

Antetokounmpo’s new deal gives him an option to remain with the club in the 2027-2028 campaign, but he can enter free agency in July
2027, at the age of 32.

He confirmed his contract extension in a post on social media without giving details of the new deal.

“MILWAUKEEEEEEEEE!! Let’s get it!!!!…#Extended,” Antetokounmpo wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The Greek star has spent the entirety of his NBA career with Milwaukee since being drafted by the franchise in 2013 as the 15th overall pick.

The 28-year-old is regarded as one of the best players in basketball, guiding the Bucks to the NBA title in 2021.

As recently as the Bucks’ preseason media day earlier this month, Antetokounmpo said he was in no hurry to sign a contract extension before 2024—noting that he wanted to be certain the franchise remained committed to going for titles.

“I want to be a Milwaukee Buck for the rest of my career—as long as we are winning. It’s as simple as that,” Antetokounmpo said on Oct. 2. —AFP