Giannis Antetokounmpo reiterates title focus

Sep 30, 2025 12:42 PM

Giannis Antetokounmpo remains in Greece as the Milwaukee Bucks prepare to open training camp, sidelined by a COVID-19 infection.

While unable to be present in Milwaukee, the two-time MVP addressed the media Monday via Zoom, offering insight into his mindset and his offseason amid reports that he had been reconsidering his long-term future with the Bucks.

Antetokounmpo made it clear that his priorities have not changed, emphasizing again that his only focus is competing for championships.

“The same thing I’ve been saying my whole career,” he said. “I want to be on a team that allows me and gives me a chance to win a championship… it is never going to change. I want to be among the best.”

The Bucks enter the 2025–26 season in transition after a turbulent summer. Following Damian Lillard’s Achilles injury, Milwaukee used the waive-and-stretch provision on the veteran guard, opening space to bring in Myles Turner.

The team also lost long-tenured center Brook Lopez to free agency, while adding Cole Anthony, Gary Harris, and Amir Coffey in an effort to retool the roster around Antetokounmpo.

For Giannis, the standard remains the same – to compete deep into the postseason.

“It’s a disservice to basketball and just to the game, to not want it to compete in a high level, to want your season to end in April,” he explained. “It’s pretty much the same. It’s not the first time. I had the same thoughts last year. I had the same thoughts two years ago.”

Bucks governor Wes Edens weighed in as well, recounting a meeting with Antetokounmpo earlier in the summer.

“He made it clear that he was very committed to Milwaukee,” Edens said. “He likes being here, likes his family being here.”

But when asked about that conversation, Antetokounmpo struck a different note, saying he couldn’t recall the details of the exchange.

As training camp nears, the Bucks face questions about their roster and Giannis’s future. Yet, for the star himself, the message is consistent: competing for championships remains the non-negotiable goal.