Giannis Antetokounmpo talked to NBA reporter Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report about the Milwaukee Bucks trading Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers for Damian Lillard. While Antetokounmpo is excited to play with Lillard, the two-time MVP is going to miss Holiday.
“Jrue is my f–king brother for life. 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,” Antetokounmpo said. “He’s the one who made that huge steal in Game 5 of the Finals. I went to battle with him multiple times. F–k basketball. F–k the media shit. This guy is my brother for life, and it’s always going to be like that. He’s going to thrive wherever he ends up.
“Now at the same time, I’m excited to have Dame. He gives us a chance to win a championship. I’m excited to play with the caliber of player that he is. He can score the ball in his sleep and shoot the lights out.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Portland Trail Blazers, Milwaukee Bucks Updates
Once Lillard was convinced that joining the Miami Heat was virtually impossible, he became open to the prospect of playing for the Bucks and Brooklyn Nets. The Blazers wound up trading Lillard to the Bucks in a three-team deal that sent Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, a 2029 first-round Bucks pick and two Bucks pick swaps in 2028 and 2030 to Portland. Meanwhile, Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little, Keon Johnson and Grayson Allen were traded to the Phoenix Suns.
The Bucks now have a Big 3 of Antetokounmpo, Lillard and Khris Middleton.
“It’s a bittersweet day for the city of Milwaukee,” Antetokounmpo said. “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.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Portland Trail Blazers, Milwaukee Bucks Updates
Lillard averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists last season, while Antetokounmpo put up 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game. Many people around the NBA believe the Bucks will win the championship next season.
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