
A three-year, $186 million contract agreement with the Milwaukee Bucks has reportedly been reached with Giannis Antetokounmpo. On Tuesday, the team revealed that Antetokounmpo had signed the contract.
According to the organization, Antetokounmpo said, “Milwaukee is where I started my career, where we call home, where we’re raising our family, and it’s where I’m going to continue to work tough every day to make Bucks fans proud.” “I want to convey my gratitude to Jon Horst for being a trustworthy partner who has been with me ever since the day I arrived in Milwaukee ten years ago. I also want to thank Bucks owners Wes, Jamie, Jimmy, and Dee for their ongoing support of me and my family.
“I will always be grateful to my teammates and coaches for pushing me to perform at my highest level each and every day. We’re dedicated to succeeding as a team and bringing another championship to our hometown. And to the Bucks supporters: “Let’s go!”
The two-time Kia NBA MVP extends his current contract by two fully guaranteed years and includes a player option for the 2027–28 campaign.
Since the Bucks selected Antetokounmpo with the 15th overall choice in the 2013 NBA Draft, he has developed into one of the league’s top players. The Bucks won the NBA championship in 2021 under the guidance of the seven-time All-Star & member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team.
He recently had a season in which he averaged 31.1 points per game, 11.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists while shooting 55.3% in 63 games. By doing this, he became the first player since 1972-73 and one of only three players in NBA history to average more than 30 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists while shooting 50% or better per game throughout a season.
Following a poor playoff performance in 2023, the Bucks made a significant summer splash by signing All-NBA guard Damian Lillard. The Lillard-Antetokounmpo combination should have plenty of time to grow given that Antetokounmpo is committed for the foreseeable future.
Because of the agreement, Antetokounmpo will be under contract for at least four more years, and maybe a fifth if he chooses. It begins with the 2025–26 season. Over the following two seasons, he will make around $94.4 million, and then for the 2025–2026 and 2026–2027 seasons, he will make an additional $120 million.
He has the option to choose the final year, which means he may earn an additional $66 million in 2027–2028.
Antetokounmpo had previously stated that waiting until the summer would be more financially advantageous than signing an extension this year. The two-time MVP also stated that he wanted to wait to sign a contract extension—which at the time went through 2024–2025 with a player option for 2025–26—to see how serious the Bucks were to achieving another championship.
Antetokounmpo might have obtained a higher salary had he postponed his decision to accept an extension until next summer. Had he waited until 2024, the maximum extension would have been a four-year deal worth more than $250 million.
“I replied that signing the contract now would be foolish because money isn’t important—a lot of money is. At the Bucks’ Media Day on October 2, Antetokounmpo joked, “So I’m going to sign it next year. “But, no, in the end, once more, it makes no sense. I can’t sign it now; it doesn’t make sense. I must always consider what is best for me, my family, and my circumstances.
“But in the end, as long as the Milwaukee Bucks continue succeeding, I want to play for them for the rest of my career. That’s all there is to it.
When Antetokounmpo made his announcement, Jaden McDaniels of Minnesota, Deni Avdija of Washington, and Cole Anthony of Orlando were leading the first group of fourth-year players to sign contract extensions ahead of the NBA’s deadline.