'Rich get richer:' Giannis got an (unintentional) surprise one day before his birthday, with a great reaction
JR Radcliffe
Giannis Antetokounmpo will spend his birthday Wednesday making preparations for a trip to Las Vegas, thanks to a win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night at Fiserv Forum.
One day before he became a 29-year-old, he had a priceless reaction after the 146-122 win.
TNT sideline reporter Jared Greenberg reminded Giannis that he'd have at least $100,000 at his disposal to perhaps play some casino roulette now that the Bucks have clinched a spot in the NBA's inaugural In-Season Tournament semifinals.
"Are we getting money now?" Giannis asked, with seemingly genuine surprise. "We got some money? Hey, the rich get richer."
Antetokounmpo's playful response seemingly references his lucrative contract situation. He signed a three-year extension to stay in Milwaukee that could be worth up to $186 million, keeping him a Buck through the 2027-28 season.
He's currently in the midst of a five-year, $228 million "Supermax" extension that kicked in for the start of the 2021-22 season.
Every player on the Bucks receives $100,000 for making it this far, and it ups to $200,000 if the Bucks defeat the Pacers on Thursday in the semifinal to reach the Saturday championship game. Players would make $500,000 each for winning the title.
The Lakers and Pelicans will square off in the Western Division half of the semifinals at 8 p.m. CT, with the Bucks and Pacers squaring off at the unusual time of 4 p.m. on ESPN for their Thursday clash.
Antetokounmpo initially didn't believe signing the extension would make sense — he playfully said at Bucks media day in early October, "Because money is not important. A lot of (expletive) money is important."
But once it became clear he could maximize his earnings by signing the extension now, Antetokounmpo did so. He had 35 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in the convincing win over New York.