Kevin Durant sees a lot of similarities between Giannis "The Greek Freak" Antetokounmpo and himself.
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The connection goes beyond the incredible athleticism and generational talent — it also extends into their respective career trajectories.
Two seasons ago, Durant chose to leave the Thunder and go to the Warriors. While he still receives criticism for the move, it's obviously worked out well for him, as he's an NBA champion and a Finals MVP.
But it wasn't a simple decision for Durant. He did want to retire as a local legend for the Thunder, but his feelings changed over time, and he decided to leave because he thought it'd be best for him.
He believes Antetokounmpo is going through something similar in Milwaukee.
Durant told ESPN :
"I was at that point," Durant told ESPN. "I wanted the same things. ..."
...
"What I would say to him, I would tell him to play for himself," Durant said. "Because he's the one out there putting in the work, he's the one out there getting up in the morning staying committed to the game. Obviously [the comments about staying put] sounds good to the fans in Milwaukee and to the ownership, because he cares so much about wanting to please them and play well for them, and I get it.
"But his career is about him; it's about whatever he wants to do and however he feels is right for him. And what type of basketball does he want to play? He's not going to stay in Milwaukee if he's not having fun playing the game."
For what it's worth, this quote did come in the context of an article that dove into the Antetokounmpo's impact on the Bucks franchise — and the city of Milwaukee — so it's not as though there are widespread rumors of his exit.
But the Bucks aren't exactly the big-market franchise that superstars view as a top landing spot, and Antetokounmpo might want to think about that when considering his future.
At the same time, he does seem happy in Milwaukee and has taken the franchise to back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time since 2003-04. He also appears to want to spend his career with the Bucks.
"Definitely. That's one of my goals," Antetokounmpo told ESPN. "Kobe [Bryant] did it. Tim Duncan did it. Dirk Nowitzki did it. I just want to be one of those guys ... that stays for the city, plays for the city for 20 years."
Oklahoma City fans will be quick to warn Milwaukee fans about the familiarity of those statements.
But, for now, it seems like Antetokounmpo isn't pondering a future outside of Wisconsin.