"He's playing chess not checkers and I applaud him for that" - Former NBA champion says Giannis Antetokounmpo made sly move by instigating Chicago Bulls rumors
Giannis Antetokounmpo recently expressed his interest in playing for the Chicago Bulls in the future. The two-time MVP mentioned that he is currently committed to the Milwaukee Bucks, but would be open to a stint with the Bulls later in his career.
Kendrick Perkins, a former champion, believes Antetokounmpo made such comments just to keep the Bucks on their toes and ensure they surround him with a strong roster.
On NBA Today, Perkins said:
"I want to acknowledge Giannis and how intelligent he is, although I don't like some of those corny dad jokes he do, outside of that, Giannis is very very very intelligent on how he go about things." [sic]
"He moves the needle off the court, and what he's doing is, 'Hey, Imma hold Milwaukee Bucks feet to the fire every single year to make sure they put the pieces around me to be able to compete for a championship.' I honestly believe Giannis is going to retire in a Bucks uniform, but what he's doing is, he's playing chess not checkers and I applaud him for that."
The Milwaukee Bucks are one of the strongest teams in the NBA. With Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton supporting Giannis Antetokounmpo, they will be among the favorites to win the title next season.
The team also re-signed Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton, which will give them further solidity. With Antetokounmpo set to remain with the team for at least four more years, they will fancy their chances of contending.
Giannis Antetokounmpo might be the perfect #NBA player, mixing old school paint dominance with modern positionless basketball. #Celtics haven’t found a way to stop him and #FearTheDeer are up 3-1. He’s been unstoppable in the Ws in Boston
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How valuable is Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Milwaukee Bucks?
Giannis Antetokounmpo has emerged as the biggest player for the Milwaukee Bucks in the past few decades. He was drafted by the Bucks in 2013 and has gone from strength to strength each season.
Having won two MVP trophies and made multiple All-Star and All-NBA appearances, he finally guided the Bucks to the title in 2021. It was the first time that the team had won the Larry O'Brien trophy in 50 years.
DOMINANCE
@Giannis_An34 🏀🏆
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Antetokounmpo's performances in the 2021 NBA Finals were iconic. He averaged 35.2 points and 13.2 rebounds per game and capped it all off with a historic 50-point performance in Game 6.
@WISN_Watson @Giannis_An34 on another level adding to his dominance! https://t.co/aGWVdNbzSg
Rumors linked him with a move away from Milwaukee two seasons ago, but the Bucks shut all talk down when they gave him a five-year extension worth $228 million in 2020.