MIAMI -- Giannis Antetokounmpo walked through the hallways of his new home at the Kaseya Center and looked at the portraits of the many Miami Heat greats from LeBron James to Dwyane Wade to Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning. The championship history only fueled Antetokounmpo's hunger to win his second.
Antetokounmpo was introduced by the Heat on Thursday. As he was sitting under the franchise's three championship banners that hang in the rafters, Miami's newest superstar made it clear what his motivation level is upon arriving in South Beach.
"It's at like a million percent right now," Antetokounmpo told ESPN. "You walk through the hallways and you see the history and you see the players that have been a part of this organization and things that they've done. I want to make all the moves that they've made worth it.
"It's a place I feel like brings pressure, and I thrive under pressure. It brings the best out of me. I'm excited to be coached by [Erik Spoelstra]. I'm excited to be around the city. I understand the fans are very passionate, but right now, I'm hungry to win. I want to win and I will do whatever it takes for me to win."
Heat president Pat Riley has been through these franchise-changing news conferences numerous times, when Miami landed stars such as Mourning, O'Neal, James, Chris Bosh and Jimmy Butler III.
But the franchise has been holding on to its assets and young players to get a superstar like Antetokounmpo, and Riley called it "nirvana" to finally have him in Miami. The Heat traded Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, three first-round picks, one pick swap and a second-round pick to the Milwaukee Bucks for Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis.
"He's right at the top," Riley told ESPN when asked where Antetokounmpo ranks among the pantheon of Heat greats. "With any of the players that we brought in, Zo, Dwyane, Shaquille -- players of that ilk -- LeBron, Chris Bosh, Bam [Adebayo] one day is going to be there, Butler.
"But I just have a feeling that this guy is a little bit more unique in his body and his size and all of the things that he can do on the court. And we're just very fortunate to be able to get him. And it took a lot to do that, but we accumulated picks and young players to do that. So we had enough in the package. ... It was a perfect time, and it usually takes a perfect time to make this kind of deal."
Antetokounmpo, 31, will now form one of the most formidable front lines in the NBA alongside Adebayo. With Portis backing up those two, Riley called it a "very potent power rotation."
Spoelstra said adding Antetokounmpo's competitive drive to Adebayo's will allow him to figure out how to best use them together.
"They're elite competitors," Spoelstra said. "It matters to them to defend, and they're gnarly competitors. And if we're not defending the way that we want to, I'm sure that they're going to let everybody know. And that's how you build a great defense. You have to have your best players really taking on that challenge. We want to build a top-flight defense. Pat always says defense wins championships."
Antetokounmpo and Portis won a title together in Milwaukee in 2021. But they lost in the first round three straight seasons before not making the playoffs this past season.
Antetokounmpo, who played in just 36 games last season because of injuries and dealt with trade speculation for much of it, already worked out on the Heat's practice court Thursday before the afternoon news conference.
"He's hungry," Portis told ESPN. "If it's one word I can say, I would just say hungry. Obviously last year, probably not the best year for any one of us. We didn't make the playoffs. It was kind of injury-riddled last year. Obviously the back and forth with getting traded, not getting traded, then get shut down by the team. So I think he has a lot of fuel to the fire and I think the [Miami] fans will be in for a treat."
The Heat also are thrilled to add Portis. Riley said Portis' physical old-school game transcends eras and that the 6-foot-9 forward could have played for Riley's Knicks and Lakers teams in the 1980s and '90s.
"I can see myself playing with either one of those guys," Portis said about playing with Antetokounmpo and Adebayo. "I'm a guy that comes off the bench and plays my role, be a star in my role each and every night. I'm always going to be Bobby. I'm always going to be myself. So I'm super excited for this new opportunity. I didn't want to be anywhere else but here if I got traded, so that's a match made in heaven for me."
Both Antetokounmpo and Portis said they grew up watching the James, Wade and Bosh teams that won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.
Antetokounmpo understands the expectations entering this season in Miami.
"I need pressure at this time of my career," he said. "I think in order for me to go to the next level, I got to get out of my comfort zone, and I felt like Miami was a place for me to be.
"We are very like-minded as a team and me, and it was a no-brainer. I wanted to be here. I'm excited to be here and I want to get to work."
Antetokounmpo hopes he can add another championship banner to the Heat rafters.
"Obviously I've accomplished a lot of things in my career," the two-time MVP said. "But one of my goals is to win another championship, and I really want to do it. I feel like this is the best route for me to do that. So I'm excited for it."
