Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetocomo is expected to leave the organization after 12 years of service.
At 30, Antetokounmpo is still at the height of his career. Obviously, the 9x NBA All-Star will attract a lot of interest from around the league if he becomes available this offseason.
If he actually wants to move out of Milwaukee, joining a team in a major market might be something Giannis might take into consideration.
However, Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal recently explained why Greek freaks shouldn’t pursue their dream of playing in a big market like LA.
NBA fans saw the best version of Shaq when he was a member of the Lakers for eight years. O’Neill won many accolades during his tenure with a team, including three NBA championships.
Nonetheless, Diesel suggested that Antetocompo should stay away from the bright lights of Los Angeles.
“I’m going to tell him that the bigger market probably doesn’t matter. Social media is the market now. Giannis is giving his name on social media,” O’Neill told Yahoo Sports.
He added: “50% of the contract is spent on taxes, more pressure and more stress. He manages the ship, so he goes upstairs and says, “I want to see all the free agents, I want a phone number, I want to talk to them.”
Simply put, O’Neal wants Antetokounmpo to gather free agents with him and trade with another team.
This is an interesting idea for anyone who can push the right pieces and teams around him into the championship fight.
Considering O’Neill has switched from Orlando’s magic to the Lakers, many may be confused about his advice to Greek freaks.
But the big Aristotle defended his argument, saying, “He should bring people to him. When I was coming, it was a small market that was too small and was probably necessary to go to a larger market.”
“But now, all markets are the same. No one cares what kind of city you are in. This is not the 90s,” concluded Shaq.
It would be interesting if Antetokounmpo was advised by O’Neal and focused on trading to the right team rather than focusing on the franchise’s market size.
In any case, teams landing Antetokounmpo will benefit from the superstar, who averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game.