Giannis nearly retired in 2020, had conversation with Bucks' front office

Over the last three years, Giannis Antetokounmpo has captured an NBA title, Finals MVP honors, three All-Star nods, and another two All-NBA first-team selections.

However, the two-time MVP nearly retired before all of those accolades as he struggled to deal with the attention that coincided with his rise to stardom.

"In 2020, I was ready to walk away from the game. I had that conversation - yes - with the front office," Antetokounmpo told Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"And, you know, very normally, everybody is looking at me like I was crazy. 'You just signed the largest contract in NBA history, and you want to walk away from the game and all that money?'"

Antetokounmpo sought therapy instead of quitting the game he loved. The former Defensive Player of the Year says watching Michael Phelps and Naomi Osaka speak openly about their mental health in documentaries helped normalize what he was going through.

Antetokounmpo added that counseling sessions gave him a greater appreciation for all aspects of his life.

"I kept talking with this (counselor). He helped me a lot - not just being a better basketball player, being able to deal with it, but being a better partner, better father, better brother, better son. Better person," Antetokounmpo said.

"Being not locked into myself, being able to give people what I feel. Because, at one point, I was trying to get away from everybody. And that's not me; I'm very social. I like to interact with other people."

The Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation - which honors Giannis' late father - announced in March that it was teaming up with telehealth company Antidote Health to provide free mental health services to the people of Milwaukee.