NBA News Roundup: Paul Pierce reacts to Lamar Jackson's viral moment from Monday Night Football, talks Giannis' future with the Milwaukee Bucks
With Giannis Antetokounmpo announcing earlier today that he has decided to sign a five-year supermax extension worth a whopping $228 million, the Milwaukee Bucks took a huge sigh of relief. Giannis’ decision was always going to have a direct impact on the short- and long-term impact on the Bucks, and now they can focus on creating a championship-winning roster around the Greek Freak. In the latest edition of the NBA News Roundup, we look at Paul Pierce’s reaction to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s announcement.
NBA News Roundup: Giannis Antetokounmpo signs supermax extension worth $228 million; Paul Pierce and Woj react
Elsewhere in sports, Lamar Jackson spent much of the fourth quarter during the Baltimore Ravens vs Cleveland Browns NFL matchup, with fans wondering whether he had pulled a Paul Pierce. However, Jackson later said that he was merely getting IVs to deal with cramps. During the latest episode of ESPN’s “The Jump,” Pierce talked about Jackson’s postgame claim that he hadn’t had a bathroom emergency and said the following.
“Come on Lamar! That’s BS! Don’t do me like that!”
Eventually, both Pierce and Adrian Wojnarowski spoke about the big news of the day: Giannis Antetokounmpo’s supermax extension.
Also Read: What is Lamar Jackson’s Contract Breakdown?
Once the discussion about Jackson’s viral moment was over, Pierce spoke about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s decision to sign the supermax contract. Comparing Giannis Antetokounmpo to other stars of this generation, he said the following.
“He is gonna continue to be dominant, and what this tells me when he signs this deal is, you look at this generation’s superstars. You look at Lebron and KD, how they went about getting their championships, he wants his legacy to be built on his back, not going somewhere else.”
Paul, who himself spent 15 years with the Boston Celtics and won an NBA championship in 2008, called Giannis Antetokounmpo an old-school player who wants to build his legacy right at Milwaukee. Moreover, Pierce said that now there are a total of 228 million reasons for Giannis to stay.
“We are gonna do it right here at Milwaukee. And, we got 228 million reasons why you wanna stay, also. “
On the other hand, Woj was of the opinion that Giannis Antetokounmpo’s decision had much to do with how he feels as if he came of age in Milwaukee, and how the organization has become his home.
“This was a decision he had to think long and hard about and ultimately got back to the fact that I think ultimately for him he grew up in Milwaukee and he has a great affinity, a love for that organization and believes that he can win there. And I think win in an organization and a community that he feels very strongly about. The idea of going elsewhere and being part of a superteam ultimately did not appeal to him as much as continuing to try to win at Milwaukee. He has had a chance at the training camp and early preseason to see in action and on the floor, and get to know some of his new teammates to see the direction where this is headed.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo will have the opportunity to opt on to the deal after the fourth year of contract. Woj believes that Milwaukee’s offseason activity has much to do with his decision to stay. The signing of Jrue Holiday and the botched attempt to get Bogdan Bogdanovic showed enough initiative to help him make the decision.
According to Woj, Giannis Antetokounmpo now has a core that he believes in, including Holiday, Brook Lopez, and Chris Middleton. Moreover, he thinks that Giannis Antetokounmpo’s decision will allow the Milwaukee Bucks to resign Holiday. Finally, he said that the Bucks will now be looking to find ways to recreate the regular season success during the playoffs. Moreover, he also said that Giannis Antetokounmpo’s situation is unique.
“I think it just speaks to who Giannis is and how he was raised in Athens and his family and just how he views loyalty and commitment. I think part of what took him maybe more time to make this decision was that he sees very seriously the idea of making a commitment.”