Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks are about to kick off their pursuit of another NBA title, but for a moment a few years ago, there was a scenario where he wouldn’t be pursuing anything at all in basketball.
The Greek superstar revealed to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that he nearly retired and walked away from the game in 2020, not long after signing a $228 million “supermax” deal with the Bucks – at the time, the largest contract in NBA history.
“I had that conversation – yes – with the front office,” Antetokounmpo said, after saying that he was “ready to walk away from the game” around the time he signed his extension.
“Everybody is looking at me like I was crazy. ‘You just signed the largest contract in NBA history and you want to walk away from the game and all that money…?’
“Mannnnn, you can take that money and shove it into your…”
That was 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was still raging and millions of people were dealing with individual mental health crises.
Antetokounmpo was no different – citing the stress that came with being a superstar player, as well as the loss of his father Charles, as reasons he was considering walking away.
It was when he decided to see a therapist that he finally came to peace with the various elements of his life.
“I kept talking with this (counselor). He helped me a lot – not just being a better basketball player, being able to deal with it; but being a better partner, better father, better brother, better son. Better person. Being not locked into myself, being able to give people what I feel. Because at one point, I was trying to get away from everybody. And that’s not me; I’m very social. I like to interact with other people.
“And I started talking to him and he helped me. Then I had this event in Saint-Tropez with Kevin Love. And we talked about it.”
Love, too, has been outspoken about how he has dealt with mental health issues throughout his own decorated NBA career.
The next season, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks went on to win their first NBA Finals championship, defeating the Phoenix Suns in six games.
In addition, he and his brother Thanasis founded the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation in the name of their late father, who died of a heart attack in 2017 at the age of 53.
“I tried to help as many people as I can,” Giannis said.
The Bucks are entering the 2023 NBA Playoffs as the top seed in the East and will face the remaining Eastern Conference team that comes out of the eighth-place play-in tournament.
The winner of Wednesday night’s game between the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors will face the Miami Heat on Friday – and the winner of that game will travel to Milwaukee.