Former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers revealed that Giannis Antetokounmpo was set on leaving despite never publicly demanding a trade before his blockbuster move to the Miami Heat.
"Giannis wanted out, but he was a Buck. And he didn't want to be the bad guy," Rivers told "The Bill Simmons Podcast."
Antetokounmpo was adamant throughout the 2025-26 campaign that he was committed to Milwaukee, even as a rift between the sides hinted at an eventual departure for the two-time MVP. Reports suggested that Antetokounmpo and his agent first told the Bucks' front office in May 2025 that he wanted to leave.
"He wanted (GM Jon Horst and owner Wes Edens) and those guys to say, 'We're trading you,' instead of him asking for a trade. To me, that was the game that was being played," Rivers said.
The Bucks traded Antetokounmpo and veteran forward Bobby Portis to Miami in July for Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, three first-round picks, a second-round selection, and one pick swap.
Rivers coached Antetokounmpo for nearly three seasons before stepping down in April, having guided the Bucks to a 97-103 regular-season record and two first-round playoff exits.
"Giannis needed to just give himself to the team, not to anyone else," Rivers said about the challenges of coaching the 10-time All-Star.
"I liked Giannis a lot. I liked him more as a dude," Rivers added. "He's interesting. He's not easy. He's not easy because he plays at this crazy downhill pace. He's really a difficult guy. ... He has this great passing ability, but he doesn't necessarily have this super IQ at the same time. It's really a strange thing, and he really has one way: downhill, force, force. Every play, he wants to force it."
Rivers also said he hoped Antetokounmpo would further refine other elements of his game.
"I wish he learned how to execute better," Rivers said. "He's one of those guys ... that have never needed to execute because they can do it on their own. But that doesn't help the team. And I told Giannis this, the thing he needs to still learn is the value of execution. How important it is when you're in practice and shootarounds to lock in on execution."
Antetokounmpo is enduring a rocky start to his Heat tenure. Despite leading the team in scoring (27.3) and rebounding (12.7), spacing issues have emerged because of positional overlap between him and three-time All-Star Bam Adebayo. Miami slumped to a sixth loss in nine outings with Thursday's 120-100 defeat to the Golden State Warriors.
