National Basketball Association

Giannis Antetokounmpo's Past, Present And Future

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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More than three years ago, Giannis Antetokounmpo was a relative unknown when he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks. Now he’s slated to be the team’s highest paid player in franchise history.

It may have come just as the season is about to ramp up, but the Milwaukee Bucks arguably made their biggest move of the offseason earlier this week.

First reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical and later confirmed by the team themselves, the Bucks and their rising star Giannis Antetokounmpo agreed to a four-year, $100 million contract extension, which goes into effect at the start of the 2017-18 season.

Now having been made official, any speculation regarding what a possible Antetokounmpo extension would look like has now disappeared, to the satisfaction of everyone involved.

With that said, the move itself shouldn’t come as that surprising. While there was very little chatter on extension talks throughout the summer, it was never a matter of if Giannis would be extended, it was more a matter of when both sides would commit to a deal to their liking.

However, where the true shock lies comes from seeing how fast things have changed from where Antetokounmpo’s NBA journey began.

Selected as the 15th overall pick by the Bucks in the 2013 NBA Draft, Giannis came to a Bucks team that was searching for a new direction, both on and off the court.

Although we were waiting to see how he’d play against NBA competition, it was hard not to be immediately drawn to Antetokounmpo as a fan.

Whether it was his story of growing up in Greece or his jovial personality, Giannis couldn’t have come at a better time, especially when the pessimism surrounding the team was arguably at an all-time high.

Once the season quickly got off on the wrong foot, any highlight from Giannis was a quick beacon of hope for all fans. Slowly but surely, opportunities started to open up for Antetokounmpo as the season had fully spun out of control. It was after that season, the team’s worst year in franchise history, where the biggest turning point in Giannis’ career occurred.

With hindsight, the arrival of Jason Kidd has done many things for the Bucks. From his pull to attract free agents to being an ambassador for the team, Kidd’s presence has certainly raised the profile of the Bucks around the league.

As a coach, however, there arguably isn’t a better example of Kidd’s impact in his short time with the team than Giannis’ progression (Khris Middleton‘s own development would be a close second). That’s not to disregard the work that Giannis has put in to become a better player, but Kidd and his staff have been the right guides to mold him along the way.

As a cornerstone of their foundation, Giannis is now set to become the team’s richest player in their history, all at 21 years old (well, 22 years old if I’m being factually correct).

What started out as a bit of a crazy experiment is now slated to be his full-time role, playing as the team’s lead ball-handler on offense (or point forward).

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Again, we’re only three years into Giannis’ career, but his story is nothing if not unique.

His humble beginnings may have been what sparked all of us to root for him, but Antetokounmpo has more than backed that up by becoming as remarkable of a player the Bucks have had in their lifetime.

That’s what makes this checkpoint only more memorable, as it’s the culmination for what’s been a thrilling start to a career that has only been full of ups, not downs.

Where the next chapter leads for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks is anyone’s guess at this point, but we’d be lying by saying it will not be without some sort of pressure or expectations down the line.

But that will be a bridge to cross on another day. For now, let’s hope this is only the start of a wilder ride.

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