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Bucks forward thinks Antetokounmpo wants a Kobe Bryant-esque career
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Bucks forward thinks Giannis Antetokounmpo wants a Kobe Bryant-esque career

Coming off another first-round exit in the postseason, rumblings have started about Giannis Antetokounmpo being the next NBA superstar on the move. As the rumor mill starts to heat up, one of his teammates  shut down the notion of him eyeing a change of scenery. 

On Friday morning, Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis joined the " Run It Back" show to discuss a variety of topics, and the idea of Antetokounmpo changing teams was brought up. 

Portis admitted that he hasn't spoken to his superstar teammate yet, as he wanted the sting from the postseason elimination to go away some. However, when it comes to a trade, he doesn't see it happening. Portis dubbed Giannis a very loyal star and could see him having a career on par with Tim Duncan, Steph Curry and Kobe Bryant. 

"I just think, man, that Giannis bleeds green," Portis said. "I think he bleeds loyalty. I think he bleeds wanting that Tim Duncan-, Kobe-esque type career, Steph Curry-type career where they play with one franchise."

Antetokounmpo is certainly on par with all of the players mentioned from a skill standpoint, but there is a stark difference. 

Duncan, Bryant and Curry all have had component franchises around them that created sustained success and multiple championships. While Milwaukee has one to its credit, it has failed to come close to another title since its victory in 2021.

It's worth noting that Antetokounmpo has been extremely committed to the Bucks, but he's also spoken out in recent years about wanting another title on his resume. He is not satisfied with just one and wants to continue building a list of accolades comparable to the sport's all-time greats.

Given their current situation, the Bucks don't have many options when it comes to improving the roster. Knowing this, Antetokounmpo could start going through a change of heart. While he might want to be a one-team player, he certainly can't sit around wasting what's left of his peak.

As of now, the Bucks have expressed no willingness of wanting to move on from their superstar. If Antetokounmpo wants out, he'll likely have to approach the franchise about wanting to embark on a new journey.

Kevin McCormick

Kevin McCormick is a basketball writer for Yardbarker with years of experience in the journalism field. Based out of Philadelphia, he graduated from Holy Family University with a degree in Sports Management in 2019. Since then, Kevin has gone on to build a career in sports writing

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