On Monday, Milwaukee Bucks and Wisconsin Icon Giannis Antetokounmpo was traded to the Miami Heat in a blockbuster deal.
Monday night, the Milwaukee sports world stood still as news broke that Giannis Antetokounmpo had been traded to the Miami Heat a day before the NBA draft. The deal also included Bucks star Bobby Portis, rounding out the deal from the Bucks side.
In return, the Bucks received: Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, three first-round picks (including No. 13 this year), one pick swap and one second-rounder, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Returning to Milwaukee is Whitnall High School alum Tyler Herro, who has spent the entirety of his professional career in South Beach. (RELATED: Brewers Unveil Exclusive Truss Club at American Family Field)
Herro was the 13th pick in the 2019 Draft after being the 2019 SEC Rookie of the year and his breakout year at the University of Kentucky. In Herro’s last seven seasons, he’s earned: an all star honor, sixth man of the year award, 2019-2020 all rookie, and has been amongst the leaders in free throw percentage.
Giannis has been with the Bucks for 13 years, and has made an enormous impact along the way. Giannis has earned a slew of honors in his tenure with the Bucks, most notably: 9x All NBA, 2x MVP, and 2021 NBA Finals MVP. Giannis was also the leader of the 2021 MIlwaukee Bucks NBA Championship team that brought Milwaukee its first title since 1971, when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson won Milwaukee their first.
Not only has Giannis helped put the Bucks and Milwaukee back on the map, he has made a tremendous impact in the community. Giannis and his wife Mariah were notoriously known for helping support the Milwaukee community. In 2023, Giannis had Thanksgiving meals made for a shelter in Milwaukee, where he helped serve and spend time with the people there.
“He had a personal chef make those 90 meals,” Guest House of Milwaukee, CEO Stephen Bauer said. “Giannis and his wife handed out meals and sat with the guys at the shelter for an hour and a half, two hours, just talking to them.”
The Antetokounmpo’s also supported charities such as the Hunger Task Force, Milwaukee Diaper Mission, amongst others. CEO of Hunger Task Force, Matt King, said Antetokounmpo was especially dedicated to improving access to healthy food in underserved neighborhoods. While the Diaper Mission said he helped give millions of diapers to families in need and raised awareness for the cause. (RELATED: Wisconsin DOR Seizes Minocqua Brewing Beer Amid Tax Investigation)
From this trade, the Bucks used their picks on Tuesday night to draft Arizona Guard Brayden Burries, and Tennessee Forward Nate Ament. GM Jon Horst told ESPN that the Bucks are “building” and that these players are “important to it.”
