Miami Heat forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (7) is interviewed during Miami Heat media day at Kaseya Center in Miami on September 28, 2026.
PHOTO BY AL DIAZ
adiaz@miamiherald.com
BOCA RATON
Two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo had high expectations for his first Miami Heat training camp. So far, his first few practices with the Heat have exceeded his expectations.
“It’s everything that I expected and more. I’m having fun,” Antetokounmpo, 31, said Wednesday at the end of the Heat’s second day of training camp at Florida Atlantic University. “The guys are competing. The guys are playing the right way. The guys are together.”
While Heat teammates and coaches have raved about Antetokounmpo’s play in precamp scrimmages and the first two training camp practices, he admits he’s going through a big adjustment process after spending the first 13 seasons of his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks.
“They play totally different than what I’ve been used to,” said Antetokounmpo, who was traded to the Heat in July. “The spacing is different. The way that the guys move without the ball is different. The spots are different. I think that’s going to be hard for me. Because I don’t want to only be good and just be out there. I want to understand. I want to know where I’m going, and I want to know where my teammates are going.
“A lot of times when I make plays, I predetermine the play. I might throw a pass knowing that the guy will be there. Like today, I threw the ball out of bounds and I expected the guy to be there, and the guy moved the other way. That’s going to be the toughest thing for me. But at the end of the day, I think we have great coaches. They’re talking to me. I always want feedback.”
Even the level of competitiveness and effort in practices has caught Antetokounmpo by surprise.
“This group is very competitive,” he said. “I see the way guys move. They move so freaking fast. It’s insane. I don’t know if I’m getting slower. I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know if they’ve been trained under this culture for many years, and they’re just used to that speed. But at the end of the day, you know you’re going to have competitors. We were talking about something yesterday that you don’t want to be the guy that doesn’t carry your weight, doesn’t do your job. I feel like everybody that steps on the floor is trying to do their job. If somebody is not doing their job, we try to keep them accountable to do their job. If you have that mindset, everybody is going to defend, everybody is going to guard. We’ve just got to figure out ways to score the ball.”
But the most important thing for Antetokounmpo is figuring out a way to stay healthy in his first season with the Heat.
Antetokounmpo has been relatively durable throughout his entire NBA career, playing more than 60 games in each of his first 12 regular seasons before playing in a career-low low 36 games last season due in large part to multiple calf strains. Antetokounmpo then sustained a hyperextended left knee and bone bruise on March 15 that cut his season short last season.
When healthy, Antetokounmpo is still considered one of the NBA’s top players. Not only was he named the league’s MVP for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, but he finished in the top four in MVP voting in seven straight seasons before injuries limited him last season.
“At the end of the day, it’s all luck,” Antetokounmpo said when asked about the offseason work he put into his body in hopes of avoiding injury issues this season. “Sometimes you’re going to be lucky, sometimes you’re not going to be lucky. I’ve been lucky a lot of years in my career. I’ve been unlucky a lot of times too. But at the end of the day, no matter what happens, I keep on moving forward. I keep on trying to find ways to improve my skills and also improve my body. I’ve worked hard, changed my diet. Hopefully it works. You can do all the right things and still be unlucky. At the end of the day, just stay the course. When you look back, you hope that you’re proud of what you’ve done, what you’ve accomplished.”
Antetokounmpo has already accomplished a lot, as he has been named to nine All-NBA teams (seven first-team selections and two second-team selections) and five All-NBA Defensive teams (four first-team selections and one second-team selection) during his career. In addition, he was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player for the 2016-17 season and the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2019-20 season.
Even during an injury-shortened season, Antetokounmpo was the only player in the NBA who averaged more than 25 points per game while also shooting better than 60% from the field last season. He finished his 13th NBA season averaging 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 62.4% from the field and 33.3% from three-point range in his 36 appearances last season.
Now, Antetokounmpo is working to add to his Hall of Fame resume with the Heat.
“I’ve never been a part of something like this,” he said. “Obviously, the Milwaukee Bucks organization had a great history, great players played before me. But here is a whole different story. They’ve won a lot of championships. All-time great players from D-Wade, LeBron [James], Chris Bosh, Alonzo Morning, Shaq. You go down the line. I just want to leave my mark. I want to know when this chapter is over, if I’m going to be here for a year or two or whatever it’s going to be, I want to leave my mark. I want to know that I have a great relationship with my coaching staff, my teammates, with the fans.”
But as Antetokounmpo ramps up for his first season with the Heat, he’s also aware of the emotional night that awaits him in a few months when he returns to Milwaukee for the first time as the opponent.
“The crazy thing is my wife mentioned that a couple of days ago before media day. She started talking about it,” Antetokounmpo said of the Heat’s Jan. 28 game in Milwaukee. “I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s just another game for me. I get paid to play the game. I get paid to get better and be ready.’ But she was like, ‘OK, that’s what you always say. You’re going to try to brush it off like it’s another game, but you’re going to be emotional. Deep down, I know it’s going to be an emotional game for you and we’re going to be there for you.’
“Obviously, I think going back in a different uniform and going through the hallway and seeing the familiar faces, for sure it’s going to be difficult. But at the end of the day, we are big boys wearing big pants. We make decisions and we’ve got to live by our decisions. I’m a guy that lives with no regrets. When I get there, I’m going to try to put on a show and try to get a win for my team.”
This story was originally published September 30, 2026 at 2:41 PM.
Related Stories from Miami Herald
Miami Herald
Anthony Chiang covers the Miami Heat for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and was born and raised in Miami.