Dwight Howard’s candid advice for Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo on franchise loyalty

If anyone understands the situation Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is in, it would be Dwight Howard. The likely future Hall of Famer had a similar career trajectory with the Orlando Magic.

However, after Antetokounmpo was rumored to leave the Bucks, Howard gave his reasoning to the Greek Freak about staying put in Milwaukee.

“What I wanted to tell him to do at this moment is to just stay silent, stay still, and stay vigilant,” Howard said on Inside the NBA. “I think a lot of times when you speak too early in a situation, it kind of puts a lot of pressure on yourself and all your friends and family and stuff.

“So I think you should just stay silent, this is a big decision for him coming up, what he’s going to do next for his career, he’s been in Milwaukee forever, so just leaving is going to leave a sour taste in all the fan’s mouths, but I understand from the situation in Orlando what that would feel like. So just stay put for a little bit, Giannis.”

Dwight Howard sees Giannis Antetokounmpo’s frustration with the Bucks

Again, Howard understands what Antetokounmpo is going through. After all, the former Magic center led his team to an NBA Finals appearance and also had quite the individual accolades.

He was a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, a multiple-time All-Star, and an All-NBA player. Not to mention, his dominance was second to none.

The same goes for Antetokounmpo. However, he dominates the game differently from Howard. For instance, the Milwaukee superstar is a more complete offensive player. Furthermore, the Greek star is a fantastic and underrated playmaker.

Still, Antetokounmpo has an NBA championship and a quality resume to his name. He has the accolades and achievements that he could hope to have.

However, Milwaukee hasn’t been the best for the past handful of seasons. Ever since firing Mike Budenholzer and bringing in Doc Rivers, the franchise has nearly done a 180.

They’ve been eliminated from the playoffs twice in the first round, both at the hands of the Indiana Pacers. While 2024 was plagued by injuries, 2025 was not.

They lost in five games, and it began the Antetokounmpo and Bucks trade rumors.

At the end of the day, he’s dealt with worse teams and been part of a major rebuild. The success will come, but the front office needs to make some quality decisions to appease their superstar.

If not, Antetokounmpo’s time in Milwaukee could come to a dead stop.