The saga of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks finally came to an end after months of back-and-forth drama between the Bucks and their now-former franchise player, but that doesn't mean there wasn't come heartbreak and apprehension along the way. 

From nearly the beginning of the past season, which ended in a disappointing 32-50 record and 11th place finish in the Eastern Conference, both their worst record and first tie missing the playoffs in a decade, Antetokounmpo was clearly upset with the state of things in the franchise. 

He loudly and publicly criticized the team, including his frustration with the idea that that the team couldn't function without him on the floor, an issue that became all the more glaring with the several injuries that Antetokounmpo suffered throughout the season. 

Antetokounmpo's frequent comments to the media fueled speculation that he was going to be traded at this past season's trade deadline, something that didn't come to fruition, after which he affirmed his loyalty to the team. 

Even after he remained with the team at that point though, he continued to express his frustrations with the team until things reached a point where it was clear that a trade was the only option, something that finally happened after Antetokounmpo was dealt to the Miami Heat. 

But Antetokounmpo has a massive amount of history with Milwaukee, playing 13 seasons there while winning two MVP awards and a NBA championship. His history with the team and the basketball community in Milwaukee was a big part of why there was so much delay and back-and-forth in the process that led to his trade. 

Even now that Antetokounmpo is settling in to his new surroundings. the feelings of the fans that he left behind in Wisconsin were near the top of his mind and he shared in a recent interview that he was worried about what Milwaukee fans would think of him after the trade, but that he was also pleasantly surprised about their response. 

"I was scared a little bit," Antetokounmpo said (via The HeatCentral on X). "I thought people would say ‘after 13 years? You were practically raised here, we loved you! This is your team and you leave us?’ The people didn’t react that way at all. I saw it was something they wanted for me.” 

The soft spot that Antetokounmpo has in his heart is both understandable and intriguing. Both Antetokounmpo's comments and reports that came out throughout the process of trading him made it clear that his issues with the Bucks franchise were completely independent of his feelings for the fans, and even now he hasn't ruled out the possibility of a return to his original team one day if things change within the franchise.