Giannis, Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry and the Biggest Contracts in NBA History
In signing a five-year contract extension with the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo showed his loyalty to the city of Milwaukee during an era where players are seemingly itching to find themselves a new home.
He also became the highest-paid player in NBA history.
The five-year, $228.2 million extension Antetoknoumpo said Tuesday he is signing is the largest contract in league history, eclipsing Russell Westbrook's five-year, $206.8 million deal.
The per-year average of Antetokounmpo's contract ($45.6 million) also eclipses the deal recently signed by LeBron James, which averages $44.5 million per season. In 2025-26, Antetokounmpo is set to make a league-record $51.9 million.
"This is my home, this is my city.. I'm blessed to be able to be a part of the Milwaukee Bucks for the next 5 years. Let's make these years count. The show goes on, let's get it," Antetokounmpo wrote in an Instagram post announcing his extension.
Giannis had until Dec. 21 to agree to an extension, or he would have been an unrestricted free agent next summer. Speculation regarding his future began increasing in recent weeks, as the Bucks' supermax offer sat for most of the offseason unsigned.
Some of that appears to be logistical, with Antetoknoumpo spending most of his offseason out of the United States. However, it was also clear the Bucks needed to make moves to improve the roster around him and did so by sending three first-round picks and two pick swaps to the New Orleans Pelicans for Jrue Holiday.
Retaining Antetoknoumpo is nothing short of a massive win for the Bucks and, to a certain extent, the NBA. Some fans have become increasingly disillusioned by superstar players leaving small markets to team up in free agency in major markets, and the league's supermax contract structure, which was designed to incentivize players to stay with teams, has largely backfired. Players have outright turned down the supermax to find a better situation, pushed for trades after signing the supermax or become cap albatrosses as their play failed to live up to the salary.
While Giannis could request a trade at some point if the Bucks' supporting cast continues failing in the postseason, that does not appear to be in the cards anytime soon. Plus, a quarter of a billion dollars probably buys a whole lot of loyalty from a guy who was just happy to have a smoothie six years ago.
