Giannis Antetokounmpo is entering his 14th NBA season, and he is already planning well past it. Asked how long he wants to keep playing, the Miami Heat forward gave a number and then named the one obstacle that might stop him.
“I want to play 20 at least,” Antetokounmpo said Thursday. “And then after 20, it depends if my wife is able to deal with me at home. She tells me she probably cannot deal with me being at home. So I would like to play as many as I can. So 20 plus.”
He does not feel close to the end. “I feel young. I'm 31 years old, going to year 14, so I'm excited,” Antetokounmpo said. “I got many more years.”
Twenty seasons would put him in rare company. Only a handful of players have reached that mark, and doing so would carry Antetokounmpo to age 37 at minimum, with his stated ambition stretching further still.
The setting is new. Miami acquired Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee in July alongside Bobby Portis, sending Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and a package of draft capital to the Bucks. It ended a 13-year run in Milwaukee that included a championship in 2021, two MVP awards and seven All-NBA First Team selections.
The Heat built aggressively around him. Klay Thompson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Nick Richards also joined a roster that still features Bam Adebayo, who is entering his 10th season and remains the franchise's longtime anchor.
Antetokounmpo made clear at media day that individual accolades are not the point. “I really do believe that. If not the best, I'm one of the best players in the world. I know when I'm at my best, when I'm locked in, when my body is right,” he said, before adding that what matters to him is being a winner.
Erik Spoelstra framed the fit simply, saying the goal is not to reinvent anyone but to maximize what each player already does well. Training camp opened Tuesday in Boca Raton, with Antetokounmpo taking the floor for his first official practice in a Heat uniform.