The rise of Giannis Antetokounmpo should give hope to the rest of the league

How Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks can ignite a revolution around the NBA. 

When the Milwaukee Bucks lost in five games to the Miami Heat inside the NBA’s restart bubble during the 2019-20 season, the whispers only grew louder. Was that the final straw for Giannis Antetokounmpo and would he finally use his leverage to land on a more prominent NBA franchise, one that would seemingly surround him with more help in his attempt to win a championship?

Giannis answered that question during the offseason with a resounding no as he inked a long-term extension with the Bucks, which was paid back by the team going all-in by emptying the asset cupboard to acquire Jrue Holiday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo did it his way and won

Giannis showed loyalty to Milwaukee and the Bucks did the same by going all-in after falling short of playoff expectations for the second straight season.

After an up-and-down regular season and many playoff moments in which this team was truly questioned as a contender, Giannis and the Bucks can look back and smile at the entire process now. As flawed as it may have been, the Bucks are now NBA champions and there’s nothing that can take that away.

In fact, it’s something that should inject hope back into many other “small” market teams around the league – including those “star” players that aren’t quite willing to force their hands at forming a super team.

Giannis had the opportunity to do so during the offseason and elected not to. Instead, as he likes to say it, Giannis elected to do it the hard way.

Giannis decided to take the public relations hit during the offseason and place his trust in an organization that perhaps didn’t deserve it. And it paid off for both the Bucks and Giannis. The risk, at least at the time, 100 percent outweighed the reward, but, boy, does that reward feel good right about now.

And perhaps it doesn’t feel as good if Giannis did this in, say, Miami or Los Angeles. Because, after all, nothing feels better than when you accomplish something on your time and dime. And that’s exactly what Giannis did.

This is a champion that will bring hope back to the “small” markets. One that will bring hope back to the anti-super team belief and one that will, hopefully, inject life back into the league as it opens opportunities for new marketable stars.

This year’s NBA Finals didn’t feature a LeBron James or Stephen Curry. Instead, it featured two of the brightest young stars in the league today (Giannis and Devin Booker) and a future hall of famer that got his first taste of the league’s biggest spotlight.

Hope. It’s an amazing thing when it spreads. And as Giannis and the Bucks continue to celebrate their championship, you can’t help but capture the spirit and magic of this new hope that is possibly on the verge of spreading around the league.