This is the first short story that I wrote. This short story is a reaction-of-sorts to Giannis Antetokounmpo's super max contract extension to stay with my favorite NBA basketball team, the Milwaukee Bucks. I wrote this because, as a massive basketball enthusiast, I am so happy that he is staying and I hope that he can bring a championship back home to Wisconsin. Fear the deer, Bucks IN SIX! -mitch

supermaxed

written December 18, 2020

December 8, 2020

"Did Giannis sign yet?" Marshall asked the chocolate lab with curiosity. Zuma, who was busy watching NBA highlights on the big TV inside the lookout, brushed it off.

"No." He responded, calmly, without even looking at the dalmatian. Marshall walked out of the living room with disappointment.

December 12, 2020

"Did Giannis sign yet?" Marshall asked the lab once again. This time, the two were hanging out at Mr. Porter's restaurant for lunch.

"Dude, no. Stop asking me every day, bro. You gotta advocate for yourself when it comes to this kind of thing." Zuma asserted as the two began to eat.

December 14, 2020

"Hey...uhh...did Giannis sign yet?" Marshall asked the lab yet once more. This time, it was with more anxiety than usual. The two were hanging out at the tire swing in the middle of the afternoon. Zuma had it. He was tired of the dalmatian asking him every single day about the same damn thing, and let it be known.

"DUDE. Give up, Marshall! He's not gonna resign this year or next year! The Bucks just suck now. They got rid of half their team and they are trash. Giannis is never gonna make the Finals, bro. PUT THAT IN YOUR BRAIN, dude! His teams always suck in the playoffs, they never get the right pieces around him, or any of that. He's gonna sign with Miami, LA Or Golden State. He's better than Milwaukee. Jeez man, just admit. Lebron is better. GOD." Zuma ranted as he walked away.

This left Marshall both sad and worried. He always liked watching Giannis dominate the NBA. He wanted him to resign with the Bucks, because, well, he fell in love with the team. They were a fun-to-watch squad who dominated day in and day out. He wanted Giannis to stay and hopefully win a championship with the city. Zuma and Marshall were almost polar opposites. Even though they both loved watching the NBA, Zuma watched it more closely. He loved the Los Angeles Lakers with LeBron and Anthony Davis and the Golden State Warriors with Steph Curry. They both knew that Giannis was an incredible player. Secretly, Zuma wanted Giannis to join either of those two teams, as they would ruin the NBA and win multiple championships in a row. As Ryder called all the pups in for dinner through their pup tags, Marshall tried to keep his head up. But that thought kept running over and over like a record in his mind. Will Giannis sign before the season starts? Or is he gonna dip to California like Kareem did many years ago?

December 15, 2020, 1:43 PM

It was time for Marshall to check again. He didn't wanna get in Zuma's way again, so he checked ESPN. A few minutes later, it happened.

"Welcome back to Sportscenter with breaking news. Congratulations to Giannis and everyone in Milwaukee as he has agreed and announced on Twitter that he will sign a 5 year, 228 million dollar supermax extension, putting him in Milwaukee for years to come." The sports anchor explained. The dalmatian was smiling ear to ear. In the heat of the moment, he ran outside the lookout.

"YEAH BOIIIIII! LET'S GET IT! WOOOOO! YESSIR!" Marshall shouted as he ran the length of the yard, without a care in the world.

All of the pups, who were taking a nap at the time, woke up to hear him whooping and hollering, celebrating all the while. They all walked outside their pup houses in confusion as to what was happening.

"Seems like somebody's in a good mood." Rocky noted.

"Why would he be celebrating like that? Last time I checked, nothing important was happening." Skye pondered aloud.

As everyone sat and thought, a horrifying realization came upon the water rescue dog.

"Oh no." He ran into the lookout. To his dismay, the TV was still on. Giannis did sign that contract. "DAMMIT! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Zuma bellowed inside the lookout.

Everyone heard him and rushed to see what was happening. They all stood as the TV continued to display that headline. They all looked at Zuma, who was whining and complaining. They all then looked outside to see Marshall still celebrating in the driveway of the lookout.

Rubble finally looked at the lab in disbelief. "Are you mad about him signing a contact? Dude, you're pathetic." As the chocolate lab was about to explain his reasoning behind his tirade, Marshall ran into the lookout full of excitement. He was smiling ear to ear, like something magical was happening.

"Yo, Giannis signed that contract! I feel so happy, man!" Marshall exclaimed. A few of them looked at the TV again.

"Well, I'm very happy for you, bro." Chase spoke as he bro-hugged his best friend.

"Wait, isn't that Giannis guy that dude you watch play basketball?" Everest asked the dalmatian.

"You betcha! I...just feel so good man. I'm so happy he stayed." The dally replied with a smile.

With his complaining finished, Zuma walked up to his friends. "Sorry. I was just getting over my...distraught that he stayed."

Rocky looked at Marshall and Zuma, two dogs who were in clearly different basketball ideologies. "Ok, guys. He signed a contract….how much was it worth again?"

The fire dog looked around a bit. "Oh... let's just say it's 228 million bucks for the next 5 years."

Everyone's jaws dropped. "All that for running up and down a basketball court? He must be very good at what he does." Skye acknowledged in shock.

"He's worth every penny, trust me." Marshall grinned.

"It gets worse, Rock. Trust me, it does." Chase laughed.

The recycling pup was not convinced. "How so?" he asked.

"You know Patrick Mahomes, right? That QB for the Chiefs that just won the Super Bowl?" Chase inquired.

"I think so." Rocky answered.

"He just signed the biggest contract in the history of sports a few months ago." Chase said.

"How much?" Rocky asked with curiosity.

Chase, Marshall and Rubble looked at each other and snickered. They knew what was coming. "503 million bucks over the next ten years." The German shepherd responded calmly. The rest of the dog's jaws dropped to the limits of their canine anatomy.

"How do you get paid that much? For throwing a football? That's insane." Skye responded with shock.

"He's the best at what he does. Plain and simple." The German shepherd replied with a smirk.

"Let me get this straight. Marsh, Zoom, you two had very... different reactions. Why were you, well, acting that way?" Rocky asked the two canines.

"Well, it's dumb. Giannis just made the worst decision he could possibly make. He's wasting his talent in a small market, and that's gonna hurt him. The Bucks roster completely changed, and it's garbage. If I was him, when that contract was supposed to expire the next year, I would have gone to Miami, Golden State or Los Angeles. They have better all-around teams. Better players. Better clout. Better chances of getting a ring. I mean, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar left Milwaukee 50 years ago because he didn't want to freeze to death next to Lake Michigan. It's too much money anyway. The richest contract in NBA history? Give me a break, bro. I like Giannis, don't get me wrong. He's a great player. I just don't like the fact that he's wasting away in literally the smallest place in the league." Zuma finished.

Marshall took a moment before he began to talk. "The way I reacted, it was just the, well, heat of the moment. It was just weeks of anxiety before that. I was wondering, is he really gonna stay? Sure, players like him don't come often. He's a generational type player, someone that comes around every 10 years. The way he dominates, too. He's such a fun guy to watch. And, well, he's a lot like me personally. He just has that positive vibe about him. He is the Milwaukee Bucks. He is the entire team. If he would have dipped to any of those places Zuma mentioned, it would have been a setback it would have taken 10-15 years to overcome. It would have been bad. Back in the 1970s, we had a superstar, too. His name was Kareem-Abdul Jabbar. After 6 years in Milwaukee, which included a championship, he left for Los Angeles for greater success. That championship was in 1971. It hasn't happened since. It's just... Milwaukee hasn't had someone like Kareem until Giannis came. This city suffered for decades in mediocrity, until he came. He slowly became the best player since Kareem. If Giannis wins a title here, he would be the best Buck to ever lace up. He changed not only the team, but the entire city. The team now has many national televised games. Many people wear his jersey. The team now radiates strong with a winning culture. The fact that he chose loyalty over money, small city over megatropolis means so much. Loyalty isn't common anymore in basketball. Giannis is so rare in today's league. When you're a free agent as your current contract ends, you could go anywhere you desire. He could have done that next year. But he chose home. The only NBA team he's ever played with. He also has the biggest contract now in the history of the NBA. 228 million bucks, he deserved every penny. And we get to keep this guy for 5 more years. It's just an awesome feeling." Marshall concluded.

Everyone liked what he said. Even Zuma cracked a small smirk.

Just then, someone's stomach rumbled. "All of this contract talk has me starved, dude. I gotta get myself some lunch." Rubble quirked. The pups all laughed as they walked outside the lookout, ready to get some grub. For cheap.