Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to etch his name in the history of the Miami Heat.
Antetokounmpo was traded to the Heat earlier this month. At his introductory press conference, the 6-foot-11 point forward said he was looking forward to working with his teammates and coaches while trying to bring another championship to South Beach.
“I think from the first battle we had, and from the first years I played in NBA, I always had huge respect for the Miami Heat organization,” he said.
“And around the league, we as players, we speak, we talk, you know, and [they] always share about the Miami Heat culture and that guys work hard, guys are very disciplined, guys are very driven, and guys are very selfless and give everything that they can to win games.”
Antetokounmpo said he was also influenced by the Heat’s big three in the early 2010s: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. The Heat made the NBA Finals in each of their four seasons together and won back-to-back Championships in 2012 and 2013. Antetokounmpo began watching basketball around that time and absorbed what he watched there.
He also said he took inspiration from another legend playing in town. Lionel Messi started his career with FC Barcelona before moving to Paris Saint-Germain and then joining Inter Miami in 2023.
“Messi might go down as one of the best athletes of all time,” he said.
“He has seven MVPs. He might have two World Cup wins, finals wins. He has, I think, five or four (UEFA) Champions League championships. So, he’s up there with other athletes, Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, [Novak] Djokovic, Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt.”
“When you see that, you get inspired. You definitely get inspired to take care of your body, to keep on doing the right thing for your team … LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, they set the blueprint and you’ve just got to follow, right? It’s hard. You have to be disciplined. You have to be dedicated to your craft. But it’s there, and if you want to follow, you follow,” Antetokounmpo added.
Joining the Heat means forming a tandem under the rim with center Bam Adebayo. The two have gone head-to-head in the paint for years now; Antetokounmpo joked that he always got extra sleep before playing against Adebayo.
He complimented Adebayo on how hard he plays, saying that Bam is in the 99.9th percentile among players in the NBA. With the two of them leading the team, he expected the rest of the locker room to follow their example.
Offensively, he observed that Miami likes to create space for players to get into the lane and make plays. Antetokounmpo, one of the NBA’s premier positionless players on both sides of the court, believes he takes up so much attention that he can make life easier for the players around him. He said he was excited to work in coach Erik Spoelstra’s offense.
Antetokounmpo is also excited to be coached hard by Spoelstra. His confidants described Spoelstra as a workaholic dedicated to his craft and an exceptional schemer. He believes Spoelstra is going to get the best out of him.
“I know the expectations that this team has,” he said. “I love pressure. Coach ‘Spo’ talked about pressure, and I think I thrive [under] pressure.”
“I think I need pressure at this time of my career, in order for me to go to the next level. I’ve got to get out of my comfort zone, and I feel like Miami was the place for me to be. We are very like-minded as a team, and [for] me and it was a no-brainer. I wanted to be here. I’m excited to be here and uh I just I want to get to work.”
Ultimately, Antetokounmpo—who won Finals MVP while leading the Milwaukee Bucks to their second NBA Championship in 2021—said he wanted to contribute to the Heat’s legacy as a perennial contender and win a second ring.
“I enjoy basketball,” he said. “I enjoy the challenge. I enjoy getting better.”
“Obviously, I’ve accomplished a lot of things in my career, but one of my goals is to win another championship, and I really want to do it. And at times, whenever I put my mind into something, I usually accomplish it, and I feel like this is the best route for me to do that. So, I’m excited for it.”
