Giannis Antetokounmpo was introduced as a Miami Heat player on Thursday, one day after Argentina’s stunning 2-1 semifinal comeback over England at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. He watched the match in person, sitting alongside Mick Jagger and Jermaine Dupri, and learned something new about Lionel Messi – someone he has always admired. And then carried it straight into his first day with his new team.
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“LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, they set the blueprint,” Giannis said. “If you want to follow, you follow. If you don’t want to follow, you go home.”
He unpacked what that meant earlier in the same press conference: “When I got to the plane yesterday after the game, heading here to Miami, and I was thinking about his path. … Like seeing that game yesterday, we witnessed greatness, right? … You definitely get inspired to take care of your body, to keep on doing the right thing for your team. … It’s hard.”
Messi, at 39, assisted both of Argentina’s late goals against England (Enzo Fernández’s 85th-minute strike and Lautaro Martínez’s 92nd-minute header), and has now produced 7 goals and 6 assists across his last eight World Cup knockout matches. Argentina advanced to Sunday’s final against Spain, chasing a second straight title.
Giannis has previously said he related more to Ronaldo’s discipline and longevity, and called Messi’s game a show of “pure talent” by contrast, while separately describing LeBron James as basketball’s version of Messi for his rare combination of natural gift and career-long dominance.
That said, the Miami front office must have surely been satisfied since they didn’t give up that much for a player they expect to coast. The Heat sent Tyler Herro, Kasparas Jakučionis, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, three first-round picks (2026, 2031, 2033), a 2030 first-round swap and a 2033 second-round pick to Milwaukee to officially acquire Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis on July 6, ending his 13-season run with the Bucks.
On why he chose Miami, Giannis said: “I love pressure. I think I thrive in pressure and need pressure at this time in my career. To me, to go to the next level, I have to get out of my comfort zone. I feel like Miami was a place for me to be. We are very like-minded.” He added: “I always had huge respect for the Heat organization… You always hear about the Miami Heat culture… I always was curious what make them so unique.”
