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Miami Heat forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (7) is interviewed during Miami Heat media day at Kaseya Center in Miami on September 28, 2026.<\/p>\n
PHOTO BY AL DIAZ<\/p>\n
adiaz@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
BOCA RATON<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s everything that I expected and more. I\u2019m having fun,\u201d Antetokounmpo, 31, said Wednesday at the end of the Heat\u2019s second day of training camp at Florida Atlantic University. \u201cThe guys are competing. The guys are playing the right way. The guys are together.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Heat teammates and coaches have raved about Antetokounmpo\u2019s play in precamp scrimmages and the first two training camp practices, he admits he\u2019s going through a big adjustment process after spending the first 13 seasons of his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey play totally different than what I\u2019ve been used to,\u201d said Antetokounmpo, who was traded to the Heat in July. \u201cThe spacing is different. The way that the guys move without the ball is different. The spots are different. I think that\u2019s going to be hard for me. Because I don\u2019t want to only be good and just be out there. I want to understand. I want to know where I\u2019m going, and I want to know where my teammates are going.<\/p>\n
\u201cA 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\u2019s going to be the toughest thing for me. But at the end of the day, I think we have great coaches. They\u2019re talking to me. I always want feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even the level of competitiveness and effort in practices has caught Antetokounmpo by surprise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis group is very competitive,\u201d he said. \u201cI see the way guys move. They move so freaking fast. It\u2019s insane. I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m getting slower. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on. I don\u2019t know if they\u2019ve been trained under this culture for many years, and they\u2019re just used to that speed. But at the end of the day, you know you\u2019re going to have competitors. We were talking about something yesterday that you don\u2019t want to be the guy that doesn\u2019t carry your weight, doesn\u2019t 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\u2019ve just got to figure out ways to score the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the most important thing for Antetokounmpo is figuring out a way to stay healthy in his first season with the Heat.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
When healthy, Antetokounmpo is still considered one of the NBA\u2019s top players. Not only was he named the league\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s all luck,\u201d Antetokounmpo said when asked about the offseason work he put into his body in hopes of avoiding injury issues this season. \u201cSometimes you\u2019re going to be lucky, sometimes you\u2019re not going to be lucky. I\u2019ve been lucky a lot of years in my career. I\u2019ve 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\u2019ve 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\u2019re proud of what you\u2019ve done, what you\u2019ve accomplished.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019s Most Improved Player for the 2016-17 season and the NBA\u2019s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2019-20 season.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Now, Antetokounmpo is working to add to his Hall of Fame resume with the Heat.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never been a part of something like this,\u201d he said. \u201cObviously, the Milwaukee Bucks organization had a great history, great players played before me. But here is a whole different story. They\u2019ve 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\u2019m going to be here for a year or two or whatever it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
But as Antetokounmpo ramps up for his first season with the Heat, he\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe crazy thing is my wife mentioned that a couple of days ago before media day. She started talking about it,\u201d Antetokounmpo said of the Heat\u2019s Jan. 28 game in Milwaukee. \u201cI was like, \u2018Yeah, it\u2019s just another game for me. I get paid to play the game. I get paid to get better and be ready.\u2019 But she was like, \u2018OK, that\u2019s what you always say. You\u2019re going to try to brush it off like it\u2019s another game, but you\u2019re going to be emotional. Deep down, I know it\u2019s going to be an emotional game for you and we\u2019re going to be there for you.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, I think going back in a different uniform and going through the hallway and seeing the familiar faces, for sure it\u2019s going to be difficult. But at the end of the day, we are big boys wearing big pants. We make decisions and we\u2019ve got to live by our decisions. I\u2019m a guy that lives with no regrets. When I get there, I\u2019m going to try to put on a show and try to get a win for my team.\u201d<\/p>\n
This story was originally published September 30, 2026 at 2:41 PM.<\/p>\n
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