Miami (AFP) – Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo said Thursday he believes the Miami Heat are his best chance at another title. And as Heat president Pat Riley proudly introduced his latest blockbuster acquisition, he hinted Antetokounmpo could soon have more star power to back him up in that pursuit.
“We landed the plane,” Riley said of completing the deal to bring Antetokounmpo to town. “Now there’s another one we have to land.” That was a reference to the Heat’s continued pursuit of free agent superstar LeBron James, who led the team to back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. The Heat are reportedly in the mix as James decides where he’ll play next after announcing his departure from the Los Angeles Lakers in June.
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James himself remained mum on Thursday when he appeared at a fan festival in New York. And with the situation still murky, Riley stressed that the Heat were celebrating the arrival of Antetokounmpo as a move that makes them contenders now. “We’re not here guaranteeing anything. But we want to win,” Riley said. “This is the team that we have right now, and I’m happy with it.”
Riley said the Heat had nearly landed Antetokounmpo by the February trade deadline. The 31-year-old has played all 13 of his NBA seasons with the Bucks, leading them to a title that snapped a 50-year title drought. The 10-time NBA All-Star was the 2019 and 2020 NBA Most Valuable Player and the 2021 NBA Finals MVP. He averaged 24.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.2 blocked shots, and 1.1 steals a game overall for Milwaukee. Last season, he averaged 27.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists, but the Bucks failed to reach the playoffs, and tensions grew between Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee management.
“Obviously, I’ve accomplished a lot of things in my career, but one of my goals is to win another championship,” Antetokounmpo said. “I feel like this is the best route for me to do that.” And he didn’t shy away from the idea of instant expectations. “I thrive under pressure,” Antetokounmpo said. “I need pressure. I think to go to my next level, I’ve got to get out of my comfort zone, and I feel like Miami was the place for me to be.”
He admitted leaving Milwaukee was difficult. It’s one reason he’ll play in a number 7 jersey rather than the No. 34 he wore as a Buck. “I felt like 34 holds so much weight and has so much history,” Antetokounmpo said. “Out of respect to the organization that drafted me and that I played for 13 years, I decided to leave that number there and start a new chapter.”
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