Giannis Antetokounmpo brushes off Knicks trade rumors after leading Bucks past New York

MILWAUKEE– Giannis Antetokounmpo turned in a dominant performance Tuesday night to lead the Milwaukee Bucks past the New York Knicks on national television, then brushed aside rumors that over the summer he had considered a future in the Big Apple.

As Antetokounmpo took the podium after posting 37 points, eight rebounds and seven assists on 16 of 22 shooting in the Bucks’ 121-111 victory, he was asked about an ESPN report that said the Knicks were the only team he had interest in playing for outside of Milwaukee.

“Who said that? I didn’t read it. I don’t remember it. Right now, I’m here, I’m representing my team and that’s it,” Antetokounmpo said. “We beat the Knicks. [The trade rumor] It doesn’t really matter. What matters right now is we have a game in two days against Golden State, let’s try to stay locked in and get two in a row. I have not read this article. Try to stay away from all that – rumors, speculation, deals and all that. This doesn’t concern me at all. »

Antetokounmpo has been phenomenal to start the season. He has scored at least 30 points in all four games for the Bucks and is averaging 36.3 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists on 69.5% shooting. He seemed to have a little more juice on Tuesday as he helped the Bucks improve to 3-1, although he said that was only because the Knicks swept the Bucks last season.

In one sequence in the third quarter, Antetokounmpo rose up for a big block on Mikal Bridges, then launched a slam at the other end, which forced a Knicks timeout. He waved the crowd to their feet as he walked to the bench and appeared to shout, “This is my city!” followed by something else. (He claimed after the match that he later added, “I like it when it’s hard. I thrive when it’s hard. When you make it hard, I thrive.” The video doesn’t seem to support this.)

“Yeah, sure, there was a lot more [to this game]. They swept us away last year. They swept us,” Antetokounmpo said. “They were much better than us last year and we didn’t make it difficult for them. It was very easy, in my opinion. And as the leader of this team, I remember that. I don’t forget anything and I try, from the start of the shoot, to set the tone for the team and remind them “last year, they swept us, like the Cavs”. So I think the team responded in the best way, so I’m happy.”

Antetokounmpo has been asked about trade rumors multiple times over the past month, starting with media day, when he acknowledged there was truth to the offseason reports that he had considered leaving Milwaukee. But during training camp, he made it clear he was committed to the Bucks for the rest of the season and would give his all to the team as long as he stayed in town.

“First of all, I didn’t read this story. When the season starts, I try to get off social media and I try to focus on my job and the team, but yeah, I’ve said it many times, I want to be in a situation where I can win and now I’m here,” Antetokounmpo said on Oct. 8, a day after Shams Charania’s ESPN report. “I believe in this team. I believe in my teammates. I’m here to lead this team to where we can go and it’s definitely going to be tough. We’ll take it day by day, but I’m here. So all the extra stuff doesn’t matter.”

However, during that same October 8 press conference, he also said he might change his mind in “six, seven months” if the team wasn’t going in the right direction. As a result, trade rumors will follow him until he signs an extension with the Bucks, requests a trade or enters free agency, which he can do in 2027 if he opts out of the final year of his contract.

For now, it’s clear that the whole saga hasn’t affected his performance on the pitch.

“I don’t have time [to be distracted]. I’m not going to lie to you. I have four children, I have one seven months old, two years old, four years old and five years old. So brother, I don’t have time to read [rumors]. Even if I wanted to pay attention to things like that, my life doesn’t allow me to,” Antetokounmpo said Tuesday.

“I have four little gremlins running around, I have my job that I have to improve, and then I have to lead the team and then I have other things. I have my wife, I have my mother, I have my brothers, I have to go to church. Man, I don’t have time for all that. So I’m very, very honest with you. I love playing basketball and I try to talk on the court.”