29 September 2023 , 14:38
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Giannis Antetokounmpo shared a strong tribute to Jrue Holiday following his departure from the Milwaukee Bucks.
The 33-year-old was sent to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of a three-team deal that facilitated Damian Lillard’s move to the 2021 NBA champions. "The Greek Freak" and Holiday enjoyed a special time together at the franchise in which they secured the Larry O'Brien trophy two years ago.
Now the two-time league MVP sent a message to his former teammates and was full of praise for the player.
"Jrue is my f--king brother for life,” Antetokounmpo said per Bleacher Report. “I love his family. I love him. I appreciate him. I wish him nothing but the best. He blessed me with a f--king championship.”
Holiday was essential to the Bucks’ run to the championship in 2021 and recently admitted he wanted to retire with the team. He averaged 17.3 points, 8.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds in the playoffs that year, a perfect foil for Antetokounmpo who dominated and went on to claim the Finals MVP award.
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The blockbuster three-team deal saw Portland receive Holiday in addition to Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, Milwaukee's 2029 unprotected first-round draft pick, and unprotected Milwaukee swap rights in 2028 and 2030. The Phoenix Suns have acquired Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson.
He admitted that while he was devastated to lose his close teammate, he is excited to have Lillard join the Bucks organisation. “It’s a bittersweet day for the city of Milwaukee,” Antetokounmpo shared. “You get Dame, who is a great player, but you lose a great guy. Jrue took us to the promised land. I’m 10 years in now.
“I know it’s a business. At the end of the day, Jrue will always be my brother for life. He’s one of the best human beings I’ve been around. But we’ve got to focus on the goal to win the championship. Dame wants this. He’s hungry to win, and he’s going to push us. I’m very happy to have him on our team.”
Damian Lillard will join Antetokounmpo at the Milwaukee Bucks (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)The seven-time NBA All-star’s comments about the Lillard trade come two weeks after he admitted thinking about leaving the Bucks if they were not in contention to compete for a championship. “I'm a Milwaukee Buck, but most importantly, I am a winner. I want to be a winner. Comfort zone does not matter to me,” the two-time league MVP told Bleav Sports. “At the end of the day, I want to create new memories, I want to win a lot of championships.
“If there is a better situation for me to win the Larry O'Brien I have to take that better situation.” He also told the New York Times: “I would not be the best version of myself if I didn’t know that everybody’s on the same page. Everybody’s going for a championship, everybody’s going to sacrifice time away from their family like I do. And if I don’t feel that, I’m not signing.”
But following the addition of a star player and one of the league’s most prolific scorers, Antetokounmpo seems to relish the prospect of forming a lethal partnership with the six-time All-Star in pursuit of another NBA title.
Antetokounmpo is currently eligible for a three-year contract extension with the Bucks worth approximately $173 million. He underwent a knee procedure in July and has since been hard at work preparing for the new season.
Lillard is ready to join his new team and addressed the people of Portland following his departure. He wrote on social media platform X: “The casuals won’t be addressed but the Trailblazers fans and city of Portland that I love truly will be … and they will be addressed truthfully. Stay tuned Excited for my next chapter! @Bucks."