Giannis talks about signing his extension, his loyalty to the Bucks fan base and franchise.

Let me state clearly what I have already stated in the past: I love this man. This entire era of Bucks basketball is a fever dream. If you would have told me in 1996, or 2005, or 2012, that one day the Milwaukee Bucks would possess a two-time league MVP, who is arguably the best player on the planet, I’d assume that he would leave for a bigger market at his earliest convenience.

Nope.

Nope, nope, nope.

Not only do the Milwaukee Bucks possess one of the greatest players in the HISTORY OF THE NBA, but he actually WANTS to stay in Milwaukee! He’ll sign not one, not two, but three contract extensions. He’ll be proactive in the community, he’ll be a great teammate, and he’ll have the work ethic of MJ or Kobe.

HOW. How! How is this happening for the franchise that mostly kicked me in the nards every season for the first 30-ish years of my fandom. It will never make sense in the best possible way.

And correct me if I’m wrong, but did Giannis essentially say he’s staying forever at the end of that clip? That’s a verbal contract! 10 more years! 20 more years!

Related:

Giannis said that it was Thanasis that convinced him to sign a year earlier than he probably should have. Believe it or not, Giannis could have made MORE money signing that extension next offseason. It does sound like signing the extension early will facilitate a few more mini-extension possibilities, so he’s not going to be hurting for money, but he definitely stood to cash in more if he would have waited until 2024.

Apparently Thanasis told him to just get it out of the way, he didn’t want it to be a distraction all season, etc. This, THIS, is why you give Thanasis a roster spot. I will never understand the small segment of Bucks fans that seem upset that he gets that 15th roster spot every season. As if signing some 3rd string guard to that spot is going to be the difference between a winning a championship or not. Would Thanasis be on an NBA roster if it weren’t for Giannis? Maybe not. Probably not. But this proves why it’s important to keep him in perpetuity. He has Giannis’ ear. Giannis trusts him, and will listen to him. You can’t put a price tag on that. Well, you can actually, it’s about $2.3 million per season. Small price to pay to keep your once-in-a-lifetime superstar happy and in a Bucks jersey.

PS: It has been truly fascinating to watch national NBA media doing mental gymnastics all offseason in efforts to downplay Milwaukee. The Bucks acquired a once in a generation guard, the guard EVERY team wanted, in Dame Lillard. The national media acted like losing Jrue Holiday and gaining Dame was a PUSH. They then acted like Boston getting Jrue was a BIGGER deal than Dame going to Milwaukee. Can you imagine what would have happened if the Celtics would have acquired Dame?? ESPN would have broken into all programming. It would have been all hands on deck, Chernobyl level coverage.

Then Giannis signs this extension, extinguishing what would have been a full season of uninformed speculation about where Giannis is going to go in a year or two. What happens? Dorks like Bobby Marks trying to explain how extensions don’t mean a thing:

LOL. We have unlocked a new achievement as a franchise: People actively hating us and every one of our moves. What a time to be alive!