Giannis Antetokounmpo turned 26 years old on Sunday, with the two-time MVP nearing the start of his eighth NBA season having not signed a supermax deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, a contract that will make sure the franchise doesn’t have to worry about him bolting in free agency next season.
So what did his Bucks teammates get him as a gift to celebrate the big 2-6? Pens.
That’s right, like, writing pens. In his locker.
Do you get it? They want him to use one of those pens to sign an extension. Right, you got that, just making sure!
Here’s what Khris Middleton had to say, via ESPN:
“We definitely sung a ‘Happy Birthday’ after practice. Me and PC thought the perfect gift to him from our teammates is just to give him a pen,” Middleton said. “So there were pens in his locker for his birthday present. I told him those should be some of the best birthday gifts he’s ever gotten, so hopefully he enjoys it and uses it.”
Pat Connaughton was also responsible:
Khris Middleton said that he and Pat Connaughton got Giannis Antetokounmpo a pen for his birthday in the hopes that he maybe has some use for it soon.
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) December 6, 2020
The clock is ticking … sort of. The deadline to sign the supermax is Dec. 21, but if he ends up as a free agent next year, he could choose to sign it then.
Pretty hilarious and not very subtle.
