Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has welcomed a switch to Saudi Arabia when his NBA days come to an end.
The ‘Greek Freak’ may be from the world of basketball, but he’s fully aware of the lucrative deals footballers and golfers have signed to play in Saudi Arabia.
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The basketball icon has a net worth of $77million (£55m) and is also a minority owner of MLS outfit Nashville, who lost to Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in the Leagues Cup final on Sunday.
He also led his side to their first NBA Finals victory in 2021 and is regarded as one of the best players in the league.
But despite being in his prime at 28-year-old, Giannis has said he’d want to follow other sports stars, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, and play out in the Middle East.
“Of course,” he told TMZ with a smile on his face when asked if he’d want to play in Saudi Arabia after his NBA career.
“If the NBA worked out, maybe like a trade between the NBA and Saudi Arabia League, I’m there!”
Giannis isn’t the only NBA legend that has claimed he would make the move to the Gulf nation.
LA Lakers star LeBron James joked he’d go after Paris Saint-Germain were offered a world record £260m offer for Kylian Mbappe by Al Hilal.
Taking to social media, the 38-year-old posted a clip of movie character Forrest Gump sprinting.
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Captioning the tweet, he said: “Me headed to Saudi when they call Rich Paul and Mav[erick] Carter for that 1 year deal!”
Giannis himself commented on the Mbappe story at the time, too, joking that the club should sign him as he looks like the PSG forward.
He simply stated: “Al Hilal you can take me. I look like Kylian Mbappe.”
Even the France international cracked up at the NBA player’s suggestion by posting 13 laughing face emojis.
