Now that we know franchise superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is reportedly open to an exit from the Milwaukee Bucks, who were once again eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs, incoming Hall of Famer Dwight Howard took to social media to offer Giannis some unsolicited advice.

"Don't leave Giannis coming from someone who been there," Howard posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday morning.

Though he noted that Antetokounmpo has not made any decisions, ESPN's Sham Charania on Monday reported that the star Bucks forward is "open-minded about exploring whether his best long-term fit is remaining in Milwaukee or playing elsewhere." Such an exit would be a huge blow for the Bucks, but could be Giannis's only option should he want to seriously contend for another title.

Well, according to Howard and his own gamble in leaving the team that drafted him, a departure is not worth it.

After eight strong seasons with the Orlando Magic at the start of his career, a tempted Howard left for what would turn out to be an unsuccessful one-year stint with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012-13. He would never find another long-term home after that; in his remaining nine seasons in the league, he bounced around to five different teams, not including the Lakers, whom he reunited with in 2019-20 then again in 2021-22.

The center nonetheless made it to the Hall of Fame, where he will be inducted come the fall, but it's safe to say his star dimmed once he left his long-term franchise home.

There's no way of knowing whether Giannis, so far averaging a career 23.9 points/9.9 rebounds/1.2 assists per game (versus Howard's 15.7/11.8/1.3), will meet the same fate, but there's also no way the Greek Freak isn't tiring of the Bucks' mediocrity.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dwight Howard Has Some Advice for Giannis Antetokounmpo Amid Bucks Exit Speculation.

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