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[Saba Sports News] Many NBA superstars enter each season with a “championship or bust” mentality, and for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, the pressure is on to secure their second title since 2021, especially with Damian Lillard now on board.
The 2023-24 season was a disappointment for the Bucks, who saw Doc Rivers take over for Adrian Griffin midseason, only to be eliminated in the first round for the second consecutive year. Giannis knows the stakes are high, and the Bucks need to reclaim their status as the league’s top team.
“If we don’t win this year, would you get fired?” Giannis joked with a Bucks staffer in an interview with Sam Amick of *The Athletic.* “Yeah, if we don’t win a championship, I might get traded. … This is the job we live. It’s the world we’re living in.”
While his comment was lighthearted, it reflects the reality of championship expectations. Entering 2024-25, the Bucks are under pressure to perform. Despite their potential, recent struggles and the Celtics’ championship win have led some to rank Milwaukee behind Boston, the Knicks, and the 76ers in the East.
Giannis understands the business, “If you don’t succeed, that might be it for us. … If you don’t do a good enough job, you’re out.” For the Bucks, winning is the only way to ease the pressure, and should they fall short, questions about Giannis’s future will only grow louder.