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Giannis Antetokounmpo signed a massive three-year, $186 million contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, senior NBA insider for ESPN, the deal also includes a player option for Giannis in the 2027-28 season.
With the contract extension, the Bucks have secured services of both Giannis and Damian Lillard on-paper until 2027, when Lillard enters free agency. The two-time NBA MVP also announced his contract extension with the team on social media.
The contract extension was big news for the Bucks’ fans excited at the prospect of seeing the Giannis-Lillard duo for multiple seasons down the line. Fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) went ballistic on social media.
One of them wrote, “Need two rings from Dame and Giannis the next 4"
Here are some more reactions.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard's mutual respect is their first step to NBA title
The prerequisite for winning an NBA championship with two superstars on the same team demands sacrifice and mutual respect. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard might have already figured it out.
Giannis has all the respect for a player of Lillard’s caliber. After their game against the Lakers, the Greek Freak said he was in awe of Dame being double-teamed from the start.
Lillard on the other hand has already acknowledged that he was ready to make all the sacrifices his team needs to win a championship. He also said that it was Giannis' team and he was the one joining the two-time MVP.
“I think when you’re putting winning first — and that’s the reason I’m here, is to have opportunity to win — I think you’ve got to come into it open-minded and understanding that it might take some sacrifice,” Lillard said. “It usually does if you want to attain anything. I think you’ve got to come in willing to sacrifice.
“And I also know that I’m joining his team, where he’s been and he’s done things a certain way. And I’m also here to enhance it, to bring what I bring so it can be better, so we give ourselves a chance to win.”
Giannis knows how efficient of a shooter Lillard is and he is ready to do everything in order to get his star player an open shot. He also openly said that he doesn’t want Lillard to change his style of the game and play his natural way.
With the kind of mutual respect Giannis and Lillard and willingness to sacrifice for each other, chemistry would not be a problem. It is just a matter of time until they figure out a way to elevate each other. When they do, they are going to take the league by storm.
