Despite all the drama surrounding him, Giannis Antetokounmpo insists he’s “locked in.”
Antetokounmpo, 31, addressed the speculation about his uncertain future with the Bucks on Thursday, telling reporters that the reports are simply out of his control, delegating it to his agent.
“If my agent is talking to the Bucks about it, he’s his own person. He can have any conversation he wants,” Antetokounmpo told reporters before Thursday’s 111-105 loss against the Raptors.
He continued by saying that he is only focused on getting healthy, as the nine-time All-Star is battling a right calf strain that has kept him sidelined since Dec. 3.
“At the end of the day, I personally have not had the conversation with the Bucks,” Antetokounmpo added. “I’m still locked in, locked in on my teammates, most importantly locked in on me getting back healthy.”
Antetokounmpo’s remarks come as the Bucks are on a cold streak, losing eight of their last 11 games, and currently sit 11th in the Eastern Conference.
The two-time MVP also claimed that the trade reports do not affect any of his relationships with his teammates on the Bucks. He has reportedly previously addressed some of his teammates about his future and urged them to focus on the game.
“It doesn’t affect my work,” Antetokounmpo said. “It doesn’t affect my relationship with my teammates, it doesn’t affect my relationship with my coach. It doesn’t affect my relationship with the GM. So, it doesn’t really bother me because they know what I’m about. … right now, we cannot be worrying about what the [reports] are.
“Talking about [reports] and headlines, but at the end of the day we’re fighting for our lives. We’ve got to win a game.”
His comments also come after an ESPN report that he and his agent, Alex Saratsis, are having talks with the Bucks about his future.
Milwaukee head coach Doc Rivers, however, insisted that nothing is bubbling behind the scenes, telling reporters that “there’s been no conversations” and that Antetokounmpo “loves Milwaukee and he loves the Bucks,” per ESPN.
When on the court, Antetokounmpo has been nothing short of dominant, averaging 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game while shooting nearly 64 percent from the field.