On the eve of the NBA’s 78th season, one of the league’s biggest stars, Giannis Antentokounmpo, has inked a large extension. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Antentokounmpo agreed to a three-year, $186 million extension with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The new contract aligns Antentokounmpo with the full contract of his new All-Star running mate and point guard, Damian Lillard. Both players are now under contract until 2025.
Antentokounmpo is now eligible for another short-term extension in 2026 and a four-year re-up in 2028.
In the season opener for the Bucks, they will face Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Brandon Jennings displayed a knack for the game beyond sheer skill from the first bounce of a basketball on the concrete courts of Compton, California. It was akin to poetry in motion. Born into a world where the rhythm of basketball beats fervently, Brandon’s early affinity for the sport was no surprise. While known for its challenges, Compton was also a crucible of talent. The city churned out stalwarts who would stamp their mark in the annals of basketball history. From these neighborhood courts to making a splash in the international arena even before the NBA, Brandon’s journey began as a young prodigy charting an unconventional path. As the pages of 2023 unfurled, Jennings’ accolades, both on and off the court, accumulated to a commendable net worth of $20 million, as reported by CAknowledge.
Career Highlights & Accolades
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 04: Brandon Jennings #7 of the Washington Wizards. Handles the ball against the Charlotte Hornets at Verizon Center on April 4, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
The NBA courts have seen their fair share of legends. Brandon Jennings carved his name amongst them. Bypassing the traditional college route, he leaped onto the international stage, playing in Italy. There, he also offered a glimpse of the storm about to hit the NBA. Upon his return stateside, he was swiftly drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks, where he promptly announced his arrival with a 55-point game, a rookie record that still stands tall. Throughout his career, whether with the Bucks, Pistons, Wizards, or Knicks, Jennings exhibited an electric style of play, marked by swift crossovers and a keen court vision. Injuries might have punctuated his career, but each comeback was a testament to his resilience and passion.
Personal Life & Highlights
NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 20: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the New York Knicks celebrates with Brandon Jennings #3. After a basket and a foul against the Brooklyn Nets during the first half of their preseason game. At Barclays Center on October 20, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Beyond the dunks and assists, Jennings’ story is also one of growth and introspection. His journey through the NBA and life at large has been chronicled with its fair share of highs and lows. A devoted father, his personal life offers glimpses into a man dedicated to family and grounded by his roots. Compton remains not just a place of origin for Brandon but a tether, reminding him of where he started and the importance of giving back. His candidness about the lessons he’s learned, both as a player and a person, reflects a maturity beyond his years.
Business Ventures & Philanthropy
TORONTO, ON – JANUARY 15: Brandon Jennings #3 of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball during the first half of an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre on January 15, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Jennings’ foresight wasn’t just restricted to the basketball court. With a business acumen as sharp as his in-game strategies, he ventured into several entrepreneurial undertakings. Brandon has diversified his interests from sports merchandise to grassroots basketball initiatives, ensuring his legacy extends beyond the hardwood. But perhaps the crown jewel of his off-court endeavors is his philanthropic work. Deeply rooted in his community, Jennings has been instrumental in numerous outreach programs, mainly focused on youth and sports development in Compton. By providing scholarships, mentoring, and resources, he’s championed the cause of using sports as a vehicle for change, ensuring that the next generation gets the opportunities they rightfully deserve.
Damian Lillard has another breakup on his hands aside from his basketball relationship with the Portland Trailblazers. According to The Wilmette Week, Logo Lillard is going through a divorce.
The Portland-based publication states Lillard filed for divorce from his wife Kay’La Lillard on Oct. 2. Together, the two shared three children. The divorce follows Lillard’s trade to the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this month.
The two have been dating since attending Weber State University in Utah, wedding in Sept. 2021. Lillard cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their divorce, leading to an “irremediable breakdown.” The two have seemingly been split since Dec. 2022 as Kay’La moved into a $2.6 million home and Damian remained in the $7.7 million mansion.
In a statement, Lillard’s attorney Shawn Menashe said, “Damian and his family ask that their privacy be respected during this sensitive time and presently have no further comment.”
Unless you are living under a rock, you know that Damian Lillard was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks yesterday. Now, Dame will get to play with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Overall, this is one of the most unlikely pairings we have ever seen. Although many felt like this would never happen, it is now a reality. Consequently, the Bucks are immediate title favorites. If they cannot go out there and win a championship, then people are going to have a lot of questions about this team’s viability.
Regardless, people are very excited about this new duo. The Eastern Conference is going to be shaken up, and teams like Miami and Boston are feeling the heat. Only time will tell what their chemistry will look like. However, one has to assume that it is going to look pretty amazing. One person who is excited about all of this is Cam’ron. Cam recently had Dame on his show, and they have quite a friendship. Below, Cam even revealed the texts that Lillard sent him following the trade.
“So I just got the text from Damian Lillard myself. It’s true, he’s going to the Milwaukee Bucks,” Cam’ron said. “It’s no sources that you have to say that’s been told to you. I actually spoke to Dame via text. He’s going to the Milwaukee Bucks. Congratulations, Dame Lillard. Let’s go get that Championship, n***a.” Now that Lillard is on a good team, Cam wants to see him go out and win immediately. Dame wants to win a title, and with Giannis as his partner, some believe it should be an inevitability.
The Dame trade turned out to be the biggest story of the NBA offseason thus far. Let us know what you think of the deal, in the comments section below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the sports world. We will always be sure to keep you informed.
A bombshell from the NBA and its insiders hit the social media timelines just a few moments ago. The Portland Trailblazers were finally able to strike a deal to send a disgruntled Damian Lillard to a new home. However, one more extra team was brought in to get this one done. While he does not get his wish to join the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler, he does still have a chance to compete for an NBA championship. That is what he desperately wants to add to his impressive resume. The Milwaukee Bucks emerge as the victors in the trade as they bring in the seven-time all-star to go along with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
This formidable duo may now be prohibitive favorites over Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Miami to reach and win the NBA Finals. The other team involved in this trade is the Phoenix Suns. The Blazers will get Jrue Holiday, who will be elsewhere, Deandre Ayton, and Toumani Camara. Additionally, a first-round pick in 2029 and the right to swap first-rounders in 2028 and 2030 all from Milwaukee are in the package too. For the Suns, they receive Nassir Little, Grayson Allen, Jusuf Nurkić, and Keon Johnson.
Possibly the person hurting the most from this trade is Miami’s superstar, Jimmy Butler. The two were expecting to be taking the floor together for almost the entire duration of the offseason, but that is now over. Jimmy is one of the funniest athletes in the sport and he reacted to the news the best way possible. In this clip above, he hilariously demands the NBA to investigate the Bucks for tampering with the Lillard trade. He says, “Yo NBA man. Y’all need to look into the Bucks for tampering.” He goes on, “Y’all do. I’m just gonna put that out there. Y’all didn’t hear it from me but I heard it from somebody.” This will be big storyline throughout the 2023-2024 NBA season in what will be another exciting campaign.
What are your initial thoughts on Jimmy Butler jokingly claiming the Milwaukee Bucks tampered to get Damian Lillard on the team? Do you think the Bucks are now the favorites in the Eastern Conference? Will they win the NBA Finals? We want to hear what you have to say about all of this. With that in mind, be sure to leave all of your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest breaking news around the NBA.
Khris Middleton has been a staple of the Milwaukee Bucks for a decade. Drafted in the second round of the 2012 Draft, Middleton was traded to the Bucks after his rookie year with the Pistons. However, Middleton quickly blossomed into a dependable and consistent small forward. He was a vital figure in the Bucks’ title run in 2021. The Charleston-born forward has gone from role player to a face of one of the league’s biggest small-market teams. When people think of the Bucks, they think of Giannis and they think of Khris Middleton.
However, he saw limited action in the 2022-23 season, playing just 33 games as he rehabbed from a ligament sprain suffered during the 2022 playoffs. Despite this, he returned to help the Bucks in the playoffs, even though the team crashed out in the first round. He averaged 23.8 points against the Heat in the playoffs. That brought Middleton to a major crossroads. 2023-24 represented a player option year for his contract, worth $40 million if he opted in.
Three-time All-Star forward Khris Middleton has declined his $40 million player option with the Milwaukee Bucks to become a free agent, his agents Mike Lindeman and Jeff Schwartz of @excelbasketball tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/k0sO5qhSk6
Per ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski, Middleton has opted to decline his player option year and will instead pursue free agency. Despite this, Middleton’s agents told ESPN that Middleton has not ruled out a return to the Bucks on a new contract. However, the market for the three-time all-star will likely be fairly competitive.
Middleton is the latest big-name star to opt for free agency. Draymond Green chose to decline his player option with the Warriors. Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving followed through with his plan to test free agency after leaving the Mavericks. However, this offseason has already proven to be weird and unpredictable. There is reportedly no market for Irving outside of the Mavericks. Elsewhere, interest in Green is seemingly being overshadowed by the Warriors’ attempts to retain him. However, despite his recent injury struggles, Middleton’s services will likely be in strong demand. Where do you think Middleton will end up? Let us know in the comments. Follow all the latest sports news here at HotNewHipHop.
A variety of teams were immediately floated as good theoretical fits for Beal. However, Beal’s incredibly weighty contract ($207.7 million over the next four seasons) is a major part of the negotiations. Furthermore, Beal will be going from being the top player on the Wizards to like the second or third player on another team. A figure like $207.7 million is a lot of money for a guy who isn’t your best player. Despite this, a number of teams are starting to emerge as potential suitors.
Heat And Bucks Named Among Beal Suitors
The Heat and Bucks are currently viewed as the front-runners for a Bradley Beal trade, per @WindhorstESPN:
“Miami Heat, and this is a surprise but this is what I’ve been told, the Milwaukee Bucks. Two teams I think that have shown interest.
Per reports from both Brian Windhorst and Shams Charania, the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks have both emerged as frontrunners for Beal’s services. Both teams are contenders, with the Heat coming over a Finals appearance. That should appeal to Beal, who holds a blanket no-trade clause. The problem is going to be Beal’s contract and what the teams are willing to give up for it. The Bucks are in a worse position right now. They are $87.7 million over the cap (Beal is owed $46.7 million in 2023/24). They also don’t have a lot of contracts to play with without giving up too much. Khris Middleton is an option. However, that requires both Middleton to exercise his player option and the Wizards to take a guy coming off major surgery.
Meanwhile, the Heat are $67.3 million over the cap. While the number is a little nicer, the Heat also do not have a lot of weighty contracts they could offload to Washington to balance out Beal’s. A hypothetical trade could force the Heat to give up a lot of good depth talent. Draft picks will also likely feature in the deal, which is another positive for Miami. The Bucks’ draft chest is very light for the next few years, meaning there are not a lot of premium picks to offer Washington. Meanwhile, the Heat do have a lot of picks at their disposal. Despite all this, this is a developing story and any updates can be found here at HotNewHipHop.
After their shocking first-round playoff exit, the Milwaukee Bucks parted ways with head coach Mike Budenholzer. Budenholzer led the Bucks to 58 wins and the Eastern Conference’s first seed. However, the team struggled against the Miami Heat, losing in five games. The Bucks became just the sixth one-seed to lose in the first round of the NBA playoffs. In five years as the Bucks’ head coach, Budenholzer went 271-120 in the regular season and won the NBA Championship in 2021.
The Bucks joined the Suns and Sixers as contenders looking for a new coach. All three teams had deep and wide-ranging candidate pools. Notably, the Bucks became the first team to be publicly linked to a college candidate. Houston Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson met with the Bucks last week. However, the team now reportedly has settled on a head coach.
Bucks Eye Raptors Assistant
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 12: Assistant coach Adrian Griffin of the Toronto Raptors reacts during first-half action against the Philadelphia 76ers after head coach Nick Nurse stepped down for the night to let Griffin coach at The Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 12, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images)
According to ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Milwaukee Bucks’ next head coach will be Adrian Griffin. Griffin went undrafted out of Seton Hall in 1996 but found his way to the NBA in 1999 after three years split across the USBL and CBA. The small forward and shooting guard spent just under a decade in the NBA with the Celtics, Mavericks, Rockets, Bulls, and Supersonics.
After retiring in 2008, Griffin joined the coaching staff of the Bucks before moving to the Bulls in 2010. He spent five years in Chicago before spending a season in Orlando and two in OKC. However, he has been with Toronto since 2018, helping Nick Nurse win an NBA title in 2019. Milwaukee will be his first official head coaching position. He is set to take over a team that has the talent to win another NBA title, but has consistently fallen short in recent years. What do you think about the hire? Let us know in the comments.
In one of the more surprising offseason moves, the Milwaukee Bucks fired Mike Budenholzer following their first-round playoff exit. Budenholzer had been leading the Bucks since 2018, winning an NBA title in 2021. However, with a second-round exit in 2022 and a first-round exit this year, the team felt it was time for a reset.
The Bucks are one of several title contender teams who parted ways with their head coach. The Sixers parted ways with Doc Rivers earlier this week. Meanwhile, the rebuilding Raptors, Rockets, and Pistons are also hunting for a new coach. While there is a large shared pool of candidates, the Bucks have become the first team to, publicly, turn their attention to the talent at the NCAA level.
Kelvin Sampson Joins Coaching Search
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – MARCH 24: Head coach Kelvin Sampson of the Houston Cougars speaks to players in a huddle during the second half against the Miami Hurricanes in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at T-Mobile Center on March 24, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Kelvin Sampson is a veteran coach. Beginning this career as a graduate assistant at Michigan State in 1979, he has held head coaching positions at Montana Tech, Washington State, Oklahoma, and Indiana. Furthermore, he spent six years as an NBA assistant, splitting his time equally between the Bucks and Rockets. However, he returned to the NCAA circuit in 2014 to take the head coaching position with the Houston Cougars. He has since turned Houston into an AAC powerhouse, reaching the Final Four in 2021. Houston was a National Champion favorite in 2023 until a shock loss to Miami in the Sweet Sixteen.
Overall, Sampson is 232-74 in his time at Houston and 731-345 at the college level. However, not only is Sampson an experienced coach, but he also has that valuable experience working within NBA organizations. Little information has been revealed about the Bucks’ coaching search, other than a long list of names. Despite the level of competition for the job, Sampson’s experience and pre-existing relationship with the Bucks’ front office could see him rise to the top. the current pool of candidates for Milwaukee is primarily comprised of long-time assistant coaches from around the NBA. What do you think about Kelvin Sampson as the Bucks coach? Let us know in the comments. Be sure to follow along with the NBA offseason here at HotNewHipHop.
In a shocking move, the Milwaukee Bucks fired head coach Mike Budenholzer after the team crashed out of the NBA playoffs. Budenholzer had served as the head coach in Milwaukee since 2018 after leaving the Atlanta Hawks. Budenholzer’s NBA coaching career began in 1996 as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs.
Budenholzer led the Bucks to 58 wins and the Eastern Conference’s first seed. However, the team struggled against the Miami Heat, losing in five games. The Bucks became just the sixth one-seed to lose in the first round of the NBA playoffs. In five years as the Bucks’ head coach, Budenholzer went 271-120 in the regular season and won the NBA Championship in 2021.
Bucks Look To Reset After Playoff Loss
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – APRIL 19: Head coach Mike Budenholzer of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts after a call during the second half of Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs against the Miami Heat at Fiserv Forum on April 19, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
“The decision to make this change was very difficult. Bud helped lead our team for five incredible seasons, to the Bucks’ first title in 50 years, and into an era of sustained success. We are grateful for the culture of winning and leadership that Bud helped create in Milwaukee. This is an opportunity for us to refocus and reenergize our efforts as we continue building toward our next championship season.” Bucks GM Jon Horst said in a statement. Budenholzer was widely criticized for his time management in Game 5 of the first round of the playoffs. His decision to not take a timeout as time expired meant the game-tying shot was unable to be made.
However, Budenholzer’s firing is the latest in a fascinating trend for NBA coaches. The Bucks become the third championship winner since 2019 to fire their head coach this season. The Raptors recently parted ways with Nick Nurse after their Play-In exit. Meanwhile, the Lakers fired Frank Vogel after the 2021-22 season. In an era of unprecedented player talent, the expectations of success are even higher. No candidates have been linked to the opening as of yet.
