Last week, the Milwaukee Bucks traded star player Giannis Antetokounmpo and teammate Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat. To delve into the impact both players had on Milwaukee, WUWM’s Eddie Morales talked to a familiar voice in Wisconsin sports: Jim Paschke.
Before retiring in 2021, Paschke called Milwaukee Bucks games for over three decades. Out of all the players he’s known, Paschke says the greatest story of any athlete belongs to Giannis Antetokounmpo.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Eddie Morales: What has it been like for you to revisit some of those memories [of your relationship with Giannis]?
Jim Paschke: I have good memories. I have fond memories of our relationship as it developed, which was strange because I never really had relationships with any players or people I covered. I always kept a buffer. I always say that, but somehow Giannis and I clicked on different levels when we worked together, and it was special. So I've thought a lot about that.
You've seen the Bucks franchise make trades that have changed the team's dynamic, competitive standing and the way that Bucks fans follow the sport. How do you predict this trade will affect those aspects?
It's going to be difficult for fans to lose a player of the magnitude of Giannis Antetokounmpo. They've been here before. It's going to be difficult to go back to being patient again. With Giannis, we didn't have to be more patient than whenever the next game was — it was a day or two. Now the patience is going to require a little more.
I think the Bucks will be fine. I like some of the young pieces that they're putting together now, and I think they will be a little more competitive more quickly than people might think with this move. I've said it this way, Eddie: I think that you can be upset that Giannis has left, or you can be happy that we had him at all.
I choose to be very happy that we had him for 13 years, and what that has brought to the city, state and to us as fans. I mean, it brought a championship and it brought a very loyal player and somebody who truly loves Milwaukee. He was very conflicted during this process. I can tell you that for sure.
And then another fan favorite in Bobby Portis — what are some of the memories that are worth cherishing from his time with the team?
Well, I think anytime you're called the "mayor" of a city when you're a basketball player or an athlete, you've done something that resonates with people and they appreciate what you brought to it. So, we lose that as well. No one's really talked about the fact that Bobby going to Miami with Giannis is a pretty good stroke for Miami. Miami will be looking for some depth, and Bobby Portis will certainly give the Heat that.
You talked about the patience of fans and how that might be an important aspect of looking towards the future of the franchise. Other than patience, how can the community generate more momentum moving forward as the Bucks rebuild?
I think the spirit of what they accomplish could be something that we all remember. Maybe that keeps us floating a little bit differently when we go downtown. We remember how great it was to have that happen. Maybe we can be appreciative and have gratitude for that period of time in Milwaukee because it was so special.
I'm a fan. I'll always be a fan of that family. I'll always be a fan of Giannis because of the person he is. When I think of him, I think of the first day I met him. He was in the gym at the Cousin Center — this kid who was enjoying where he was and he might not even have understood where he was at that point. He was away from home for the first time.
He just has this infectious joy about him. I've seen it through everything. When his father passed away, that was a difficult time, but he didn't lose his joy. I hope that he hasn't lost his joy through the last few years or whatever people seem to think has taken place here. And I don't think he has. I think we'll see a joyful Giannis moving forward. So that's what I'll always see. That's what I'll always remember, until I don’t, and I believe I’ll always be able to see that in him.
