Giannis Antetokounmpo piqued the curiosity of Chicago Bulls fans with recent comments about potentially joining the team in the future.
“I think anybody you ask that question who plays basketball, if he said no, he would be a liar,” Antetokounmpo said. “It’s (the Bulls) a team that won multiple championships. It’s a team that one of the greatest players — if not the greatest player — to ever play this game played for. So it’s a no-brainer. Everybody would love to play for Chicago.
“Down the line, you never know. You never know how life brings it. Maybe I’ll play for Chicago. But right now I’m committed to Milwaukee.”
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Part of the beauty of the NBA is that smaller-market teams, like the Bucks, can win championships at the highest level of basketball — exactly what Antetokounmpo did two seasons ago in Milwaukee.
But ESPN analyst Jalen Rose said the spotlight of playing in one of the country’s biggest cities — and for one of basketball’s most iconic brands — could be a compelling dynamic if Antetokounmpo ever seriously contemplated joining the Bulls.
“This would, to me, be a graduation for an all-time great player that doesn’t necessarily get celebrated and endorsed the way he should,” Rose said of Antetokounmpo potentially moving from Milwaukee to Chicago.
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As of now, the Bulls are a big-market team without a recent track record of big-time results. They finished the 2021-22 season sixth in the Eastern Conference, then lost to the Bucks in a walk-in-the-park first-round playoff series for the former NBA champions.
Rose views the hypothetical move as an opportunity for Antetokounmpo to put the finishing touches on what the Bulls have started.
“They’re [Bulls] a team in transition,” Rose said. “They’ve made some good moves. DeMar [DeRozan] was killing it this year. Hopefully, they get healthy. I like what Billy Donovan has done with that situation.”
However, such a scenario is so unlikely that it borders on impossible. Antetokounmpo, who is under contract with the Bucks through 2026, was clear in his comments that he remains committed to Milwaukee, and the possibility of playing for the Bulls is something he may explore “down the line.”
Still, Bulls fans can dream.
“Stay tuned to Milwaukee,” Rose said. “He’s just keeping you on the clock to keep updating that roster. That’s all.”
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