Giannis vows never to request a trade: wants to finish his career with the Bucks unless they no longer want him

On January 8th Beijing time, TA reporter Amick conducted an exclusive interview with Bucks superstar Giannis. In this 11-minute conversation, Giannis declared he would never ask the team for a trade. He wants to play his entire career with the Bucks unless they decide they no longer want him.

“I will never, and there is no way I would ever come out and say ‘I want to be traded,’” said Giannis, who has a player option for the summer of 2027, “That... is... not... my... nature. Understand?”

He paused slightly after each word, speaking firmly and carefully—quite different from the press conference on December 19th. At that time, he tried to respond to ESPN’s reports about his possible departure but stumbled over his words, making his situation even more awkward. This time, Giannis’s stance was crystal clear.

Even though the Bucks have struggled this season (16 wins and 21 losses), falling to 11th place in the Eastern Conference after losing to the Warriors, his words still reflect his loyalty to the team, no matter how disappointing the current situation is.

Below is the exclusive interview by TA reporter Amick—

Reporter: I’ve been spending time with you and the team these past few days, talking with everyone about your mindset to get a deeper understanding. I want to share my view and see if it’s accurate: I feel you absolutely won’t leave the Bucks before February 5th.

Giannis: What’s special about February 5th?

Reporter: It’s the trade deadline. Before you answer, I want to clarify: the public perception is that the only way you might be traded is if you decide in the next few weeks to leave and publicly request a trade. But from you, I don’t sense any of that emotion. Is that right?

Giannis: One hundred percent correct. I think I’ve answered this many times already. Not to single you out, but I’ve always said the rumors and speculations from third parties, from others, are beyond my control. I can’t control what you write about me talking to my agent, my best friend, or even my chef. The only thing I control is what comes out of my own mouth. I have never done anything to show I’m no longer committed to this team. If you’ve ever seen a moment on court where you thought, ‘Oh, Giannis looks like he doesn’t want to play for this team anymore,’ please point it out. I’ve never said that in any interview either. So I don’t understand why people don’t believe what I say. Even when your reports come out, people still say ‘Yeah, but… yeah, but…’

Reporter: Of course, that’s what I wanted to confirm—are you willing to openly say you absolutely won’t leave now?

Giannis: I’m not leaving. I’m fully committed to this team. I want to lead the team out of this slump, play great basketball, stay healthy, help my teammates, and win games. We’ve won 4 of the last 6 games, and there are many more to come. I’m damn focused, fully dedicated to the game. My top priority now is staying healthy.

Reporter: The public says you have to decide whether to leave before February 5th. Are you saying you’ve already made your decision?

Giannis: As of today, yes. People often say about your partner, your wife, you have to add ‘as of today.’

Reporter: I get that, but fans might say ‘Oh, he’s leaving a door open for himself.’

Giannis: I don’t care, really don’t care. It doesn’t affect me at all. What matters to me is basketball and doing my job well. On the court, there are things I must do, and I will do them. My content director Nick Monroe (standing nearby) has been with me for 13 years, and our relationship is great to this day. But tomorrow, everything could change. Today, my relationship with my wife is strong; she’s a great mother and partner who supports me—but that’s just today. Tomorrow she might wake up and say ‘I’m done, I don’t love you anymore.’ Up to today, my relationship with Bucks GM Jon Horst is good, but tomorrow he might find a better option and make the decision he has to make.

You have to understand, right now, today, my commitment to my teammates, my career, this team, and this city isn’t just 100 percent—it’s a million percent. I’m laser-focused, not looking left or right, only concentrating on the next game—against the Lakers, I want to win that game. I want to help the team accumulate more wins before the All-Star break and get back into playoff contention. We’re currently 11th? That’s not truly who we are. That’s my only thought right now.

Reporter: But you plan to finish this season here, right?

Giannis: My plan is to play my entire career here, unless they no longer want me...

Reporter: Honestly, the decision is in your hands.

Giannis: I’m not the decision-maker, I’m just an employee.

Reporter: No, you’re not. I’m not letting you brush this off.

Giannis: I’m just being honest. You can think of it this way: I have a family office with staff managing all aspects of my life—business, daily affairs, investments, real estate, venture capital, endorsements, everything. About 8 to 12 employees, but I’m the decision-maker. You know why? Because I’m the boss, the chairman. But on the court, I only control what I can control. I’m not the decision-maker. Someone pays my salary, and tomorrow that person might say ‘I don’t want to pay you anymore, let someone else do it.’

Reporter: But within your control, everything you’ve said convinces me you won’t publicly call for change before the deadline.

Giannis: Exactly, absolutely not. I’m fully committed, focused on basketball, working alongside the team, accepting the current situation. That’s it. In this world, I could never give up on my team. It’s not in my nature.

Reporter: Has this kept you up at night? Are you still able to enjoy playing? Obviously, you don’t like losing, but...

Giannis: I definitely don’t like losing; it’s not my nature. I’m a competitor—I want to win, plain and simple.

Reporter: But you don’t seem nervous at all; you look great. Some players can’t handle the noise from outside.

Giannis: Those rumors don’t affect my kids, my wife, or my stable life. If you look at the top players in the league, you’ll see they all have stable lives off the court—LeBron, Curry, Jokic, Doncic, Alexander—their lives off the court are steady. So if you let the noise on the court affect your life, your performance will suffer. Stability in life means stability in performance. For 13 years, I’ve performed steadily because my life is stable. You just saw my kids and wife—those rumors don’t affect me at all. I will never, ever come out and say I want to be traded. That... is... not... my... nature. Understand?

Reporter: You mean, whether publicly or privately, you will never request a trade?

Giannis: You heard it—the team has already stated publicly, ‘If Giannis doesn’t ask for a trade, we won’t trade him.’ Doesn’t that say enough? I have never gone to the team asking for a trade.

Reporter: But as you said, things change. I just want to confirm—maybe at breakfast today, everything changes.

Giannis: That’s true. But just because I like scrambled eggs today doesn’t mean I can’t have fried eggs tomorrow. We’re all human, and basketball is the same. But again, my nature means I will never, ever ask for a trade. That’s not who I am.

Reporter: Can this team still turn things around?

Giannis: That’s another topic.

Reporter: I know, you probably have to go. I just wanted a brief thought.

Giannis: Of course, but only if we win. You can’t win just your way, right? Do you think when I won the championship in 2021, I didn’t want the ball in my hands during clutch moments, to make shots like Khris Middleton did? Of course I did. But ultimately, winning isn’t about doing things your way. I think in young teams, sometimes you want to win with flashy plays, be the ball handler, attack as you please. But that’s wrong—you have to learn to be selfless. I’ve seen too many examples.

I’ve seen it many times. Sometimes you have to rely on teammates to win a championship. Like two years ago when the Celtics won, did Jrue Holiday give 100%? No. He just played his role and fit into the team’s system. Along with Al Horford, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Tatum and Jaylen Brown could flourish. Winning isn’t always the same formula—you either win or lose. I want to win, plain and simple. The key for this team is understanding ‘how to be selfless and contribute.’ Only by truly embracing the winning mindset—real winning—can we get out of this slump. If we can’t agree and unite, it’s all talk.

I’ve played on winning teams, but winning teams don’t always win championships, right? The Pacers were a winning team but never won a title. I’ve seen some players fully embrace winning, like Kyle Kuzma. He won the 2020 title with the Lakers, then went to the Wizards and played many years, now a veteran. But he’s one of the most team-oriented players, right? Earning $25 million (actually $22.4 million this season), he’s willing to come off the bench. He could say ‘Guys, I should be the third or even second option, give me the ball.’ But he doesn’t. He’s fully committed, willing to come off the bench or start, with or without the ball. That’s what winning looks like, you get it?

At that moment, the team bus was waiting nearby, and a security guard loudly urged Giannis to return to the team and head to the hotel. He shouted back, “Wait a second!” then finished his last sentence.

Giannis: Back to your question—I think we need to embrace the winning mindset more firmly. Winning doesn’t always look the way we want. Maybe one day I need to grab 20 rebounds, dish 8 assists, score 12 points, and another day, other teammates have to take on more. Winning is never a fixed formula.