Bucks superstar makes good on his 'house in Iowa' promise

Throughout the Bucks' undefeated run through the NBA's in-season tournament, Antetokounmpo jokingly promised that the team would win and Robbins would be able to buy a house in his home state of Iowa. With the Bucks' 97-81 win in the final, all of Milwaukee's players received a $500K prize, including Robbins.

Robbins is a native of Davenport, Iowa, where he was an unlikely NBA prospect. He barely saw the court in his first three seasons of high school basketball and eventually reclassified to spend an extra year of preparation, during which he lost 65 pounds. Robbins went on to spend five years in college and won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award in his final season.

In 2023, Robbins wasn't drafted and signed with a G League team, only to suffer an injury before playing a game. This season, he got a two-way contract to be Milwaukee's third-string center.

In other words, the 25-year-old Robbins hasn't made much money in his pro career. The prize money for winning the NBA Cup is almost as much as his entire salary as a two-way player ($578K). As Antetokounmpo put it, this is "life-changing money."

Sharing the wealth is good for team bonding. The money might not matter for Antetokounmpo or Damian Lillard, who are on max deals, but it makes a huge difference for the last players on the roster. Not to mention the money that trickles down to the coaches, trainers, travel staff and equipment managers, who were oddly scapegoated by Antetokounmpo and head coach Doc Rivers during losing stretches last season.

According to Zillow, the average home value in Davenport is just over $170K, meaning that even after taxes and commissions to his representatives, Robbins might now be able to buy his dream Davenport home just with his prize money. That's pretty nice for a guy who didn't play in any of the seven Cup games. Maybe Robbins can call his new home "The House That Emirates Built" or simply "Casa Giannis" to commemorate it.