I’ll be honest with you all right now. I had doubts.

Hell, I had more doubts than most people that I knew. I truly was concerned that Giannis was going to leave us.

I’m usually a sports optimist. However, being a diehard sports fan who lives in Milwaukee, that usually never goes my way.

Here in Wisconsin, we have a tendency to see our teams come so close to the promised land, only to fall up inches short, usually in heartbreaking fashion.

I could write paragraphs on that alone, but I think just saying Brandon Bostick, Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Dodgers is enough for some of you to grimace.

We’ve seen athletes help us grow and seen them grow into stars in the process, only to leave us for a bigger market.

When Free Agency opened up on Nov. 20, I had my phone by my side constantly. There was a part of me that had a feeling things were going to be different this time around.

But days passed. Then weeks passed. Giannis had not signed his Supermax.

On and off for the past few years, while Giannis emerged into the worldwide superstar that he is, there would be days where I was convinced he was staying, but there were also days when the opposite was going through my mind.

Then on Tuesday, Milwaukee did the impossible.

Our star signed his contract.

I never have experienced a championship from a Milwaukee team. I don’t know what that feeling is like.

This is the closest thing I have felt to a championship.

Ya know what, scratch that. This IS a championship.

In the past three days, I haven’t even thought about how the Bucks will do this season. Giannis Antetokounmpo is ours, and we are his.

By writing his name down on that contract, Giannis did a lot more than I thought an athlete could ever do for a city.

He committed to us.

He decided to raise Liam and his future kids here.

He allowed us to be contenders for the following several years.

He told us he loves us, almost as much as we love him, which is damn near impossible.

To me, that cannot have a price tag put on it. That is a championship in its own way.

When we drafted this lanky Greek kid, we took a chance on him. I don’t think anybody thought that this would put Milwaukee sports on the map on a global scale, arguably more than we ever have been.

As a city, we have been beyond lucky to be a part of Giannis’ growth since 2013. We’ve been there through it all. We were there when he discovered a smoothie for the first time. We were there when he pulled pranks on teammates. And of course, we all know the story of how he walked to practice his rookie year because he sent all of his money back home. We were there for that too.

We were there for hundreds of ferocious dunks that found their way to ESPN. We were there when he gave his shoes away to young fans. We were there when he held a megaphone at social justice rallies. We were there when tears flowed during his first MVP speech.

We were also there in times of hurt. We were there when he walked off the court in disappointment after playoff exits. We were there when his hands were on his hips after giving it everything he had, but the score was not in the Bucks’ favor. We were there when Giannis’ father, Charles, passed away in 2017.

Throughout this seven year ride, it feels like Giannis is not just a part of Milwaukee. It feels like he IS Milwaukee. Without him, we would not be who we are.

Now, this relationship gets to continue until at least 2025. We have our Kobe Bryant. We have our Dirk Nowitzki. We have our Michael Jordan.

I have been lucky enough to have season tickets for the past six years. I will never forget the goosebumps that I got the first time that I heard the crowd erupt in MVP chants for Giannis.

I cannot wait for the next time that we get to be inside the Fiserv Forum, because I promise you, this city is about to show Giannis just how much we truly love him and how grateful we are for him. The cheers will be deafening, and I know that is a moment that I will never forget untli the day that I die.

Thank you Giannis. Cheers to you.

We love you.