Even though Giannis Antetokounmpo attempted to use the famous The Wolf of Wall Street scene to celebrate not getting traded by the Milwaukee Bucks prior to Thursday’s deadline, one person in the NBA had a reminder about the rest of the movie plays out.
Antetokounmpo posted the “I’m not leaving” scene with Leonardo DiCaprio from Martin Scorsese’s instant classic 2013 film after remaining with the Bucks through the deadline.
Speaking to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, one executive was sure to remind everyone how the rest of the movie plays out: “You know, in the movie, he left.”
For those who haven’t seen the movie, the “I’m not leaving” scene takes place roughly two-thirds of the way through when the heat is turned up on DiCaprio’s character and he is advised to step down from his position while his legal team negotiates a plea deal with law enforcement to keep him out of prison.
In the middle of the farewell speech, DiCaprio’s character has a change of heart and says the famous line. Things don’t get better for him from there. He loses his job, gets divorced, spends three years in a minimum security prison in exchange for his testimony and ends the movie hosting seminars.
Granted, Antetokounmpo would probably not have as dramatic an exit from the Bucks as Jordan Belfort did from Stratton Oakmont in the movie. But the end result is that Belfort was no longer with the organization he helped build.
Time will tell if Antetokounmpo’s use of “I’m not leaving” really means he is going to be a Buck for life, or if the two sides are merely delaying a separation.