Former Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo held his first news conference since being traded to the Heat Thursday afternoon in Miami.
Giannis wants to win at least one more NBA title. He won a championship with the Bucks in 2021. Now, he hopes he can claim a title with the Heat.
“Obviously, accomplished a lot of things in my career, but one of my goals is to win another championship,” said Giannis in his introductory news conference to the Miami media. “And I really want to do it. At times, whenever I put my mind into something, I usually accomplish it.”
Even in a new setting, the two-time NBA MVP took time to acknowledge Bucks fans and his 13 years in Milwaukee.
“The reason that I really changed my number is because I feel like 34 holds so much weight and has so much history,” Giannis said. “Out of respect to the organization that drafted me and I played for 13 years, I decided to leave that number there and try to start a new chapter. Hopefully I can leave my mark here in Miami and make #7 as legendary as number 34. But it’s almost like kind of having a closure for me.”
Also introduced in Miami on Thursday was longtime Bucks fan favorite, Bobby Portis. He was sent to the Heat in the Giannis deal.
“Obviously, the conversations I have with Giannis has always been about winning,” said Portis. “Where can we go to win? How can we impact winning? How can we get another chip? I want to play in June again. I want to play in high pressure games, high pressure moments.”
Giannis will be trying to bring the Heat a title, following in the footsteps of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.
“We are going to be good,” said Antetokounmpo. “I always speak things into existence. It’s going to happen. But, simultaneously, I have to be able to leave my mark within this community. And I think great players in the past did the same. And I’m just going to follow their lead.”
Giannis and Bobby Portis will return to Milwaukee at least once next season. But they will be playing for the Heat, against the Bucks.