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Giannis Antetokounmpo calls Jrue Holiday his ‘brother for life’ after Damian Lillard trade

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James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing at Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Updated30 Sep 2023

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Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo calls Jrue Holiday his 'brother for life' after Damian Lillard trade

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was crushed when he found out Jrue Holiday was part of Wednesday’s blockbuster trade package to acquire Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers.

“Jrue is my fu—ing brother for life,” Antetokounmpo told Bleacher Report. “I love his family. I love him. I appreciate him. I wish him nothing but the best. … He blessed me with a fu—ing championship.

“He’s the one who made that huge steal in Game 5 of the Finals. I went to battle with him multiple times. F—k basketball. F—k the media s—t.”

After the Lillard trade, NBA betting sites have the Milwaukee Bucks as No. 1 favorites to win next season’s 2024 championship. Sportsbooks still show the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, and Phoenix Suns with great odds.


However, the two-time MVP is also excited to play with Lillard. In August, Antetokounmpo told the New York Times his goal of winning another championship, and he wanted to make sure the Bucks were willing to go all in before considering an extension.

In a three-team trade with Milwaukee and the Phoenix Suns, the Trail Blazers received Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, a 2029 unprotected first-round draft pick, and unprotected Milwaukee swap rights in 2028 and 2030. Phoenix landed Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson.

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo calls Jrue Holiday his “brother for life” after Holiday was dealt to the Portland Trail Blazers in a blockbuster trade package to acquire Damian Lillard

Adding the veteran guard will help Milwaukee contend with the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference.

“I’m excited to play with the caliber of player that he is,” Antetokounmpo said of Damian Lillard. “He can score the ball in his sleep and shoot the lights out.”

More importantly, Lillard will miss playing in Portland. “My words always been from the heart when it comes to you Rip City. I consider you my family as well as many of my family members and that won’t change,” he wrote as part of his farewell post on X.

The seven-time All-NBA member went on to state, “I do believe a day will come where I put a Blazers uniform on again. Hopefully by then, I’ll be forgiven for breaking your hearts along with my own.”

Furthermore, Giannis Antetokounmpo earned $42.49 million last season and is slated to make $45.64 million in 2023-24. He became eligible to sign a three-year, $173 million extension last Friday.

If the Bucks star waits until next offseason to sign a new deal, the 2021 NBA champ could ink a four-year deal worth as much as $260 million. Prior to the Lillard trade, Milwaukee delivered the max, three-year extension to the Greek Freak.

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