Giannis Represents The Problem With Being A Superstar Athlete in Wisconsin

While the NBA is a players league, I believe that Giannis represents an ongoing problem with being a superstar athlete in the state of Wisconsin.

SPORTS

Serafino Diaz

1/29/20244 min read

MILWAKEE, WI- Last week, the Milwaukee Bucks fired head coach Adrian Griffin despite a 30-13 record that was good for second-best in the NBA. It was reported that players, notably Giannis Antetokounmpo, had lost faith in Griffin and his ability to lead this team. This is ironic considering that Griffin was the preferred choice of Giannis to be his next head coach after the team fired Mike Budenholzer.

While the NBA is a players league, I believe that Giannis represents an ongoing problem with being a superstar athlete in the state of Wisconsin.

It’s Hard Being A Star In Wisconsin

I say this having been to the state many times- it's hard being a star in Wisconsin. No, it's not because of the pressure of being in a big market like Los Angeles, New York, or Chicago. Wisconsin is a smaller state, and their biggest city, Milwaukee, has a population of just under 570,000 people. Only the Thunder, Pelicans, and Grizzlies can say that their cities have a smaller population.

Due to the smaller markets, athletes in the state are more powerful. We've seen this multiple times with Packers QBs Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. Last week on his show The Herd, Colin Cowherd said that a Packers QB is the most powerful person in the state of Wisconsin that's not in government. And if you look at the career arcs of Favre and Rodgers during their time with the Packers, Cowherd is right. It's no wonder those two essentially ruled the franchise and held the team hostage whenever they wanted to.

If you’re a superstar in Wisconsin, you're essentially trapped. It's a place that's hard to hide in due to its size. You can go anywhere and fans will show up asking for photos and autographs.

What's unique about Favre and Rodgers is that the NFL is a league where coaches and executives run the show. In the NBA, the players run the show, which puts Giannis in a unique position.

Giannis May Have Just Cost Himself A Second Ring

I would say that Giannis is the most powerful athlete that Wisconsin has right now. He is essentially running the show for the Bucks. He flirted with the possibility of leaving the franchise, and the team responded by trading for Damian Lillard. Shortly thereafter, he signed an extension. It was at his behest that the team hired and then fired Griffin. Why did the Bucks resign aging veterans Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez? Giannis wanted them back.

Giannis also signed off on the hiring of Griffin’s successor, Doc Rivers. By doing so, the team has a Budenholzer 2.0 on its hands. The reason the team let go of Budenholzer was his inability to adjust in the postseason, and Doc Rivers’ track record in that department is no different. There's a reason that Rivers has blown seven series leads of 3-1 or 3-2 and has the most game 7 losses by a coach in NBA history. At this point, the Bucks should have just kept Budenholzer, who is probably on a golf course in his home state of Arizona right now.

Another thing to note- the Bucks wanted to hire Nick Nurse as their head coach following the Budenholzer dismissal. Giannis said no, however, and they didn't do it.

Due to Giannis' demands and wishes, he may have just cost himself a second ring. Yes, veterans win in the NBA and it's been proven. However, they have a coach who doesn't have a history of winning in the postseason and some of their veterans such as Middleton aren't the players they once were. Lillard is an excellent shooter and clutch player, but his defense is a liability and is a big reason the team's defensive efficiency has plummeted this season, along with the loss of All-Defensive guard Jrue Holiday as part of the Dame deal.

In The End, Too Much Power Isn’t A Good Thing

Giannis won a ring, but that ring gave him more power and has put the Bucks in a precarious position. They may have a good record but we know that they're not as good as the Celtics, Nuggets, or even the 76ers. The funny thing about all of this is that the Sixers are currently coached by Nick Nurse, who Giannis didn’t want. They brought back veterans who, outside of Brook Lopez, were probably better served going elsewhere. Giannis wanted them though, so they came back.

Favre and Rodgers won one ring each over a 30-year span of Hall of Fame QB play for the Packers, which is seen as a disappointment. A big reason for that is that after the ring, they became too powerful. The franchise caved to their quarterbacks at the end of their careers, especially with Rodgers. By the end of Rodgers’ time in Green Bay, their roster consisted of a lot of his buddies and guys he wanted.

Being an athlete in Wisconsin is hard, because when you win championships in a small market, you get a lot of power. And because it's harder to win in a small market, the star player becomes unsatisfied and wants more, which often results in the franchises caving out of fear of losing their star. It's why Favre and Rodgers underachieved in the playoffs, and why Giannis’ one ring may be his only one.