LAS VEGAS – Giannis Antetokounmpo takes care of business on the court as he proved once again Saturday hoisting the Milwaukee Bucks on his shoulders as they moved on to the NBA Cup finals with a 110–102 win over the Atlanta Hawks at T-Mobile Arena.

They’ll play the Oklahoma Thunder on Tuesday night. The Thunder defeated the Houston Rockets later in the day, 111-96.

Giannis is also taking care of business off the court. He recently launched Build Your Legacy Ventures, an investment fund focused on the development of new sports, media and entertainment businesses.

BYL offers seed money and support for other entrepreneurs, especially those who have faced barriers, such as Giannis himself, who lacked financial knowledge when he turned pro in 2013 as the 15th overall pick in that year’s NBA draft.

“When I got here I knew it was very, very important for me to be successful off the court,” Giannis said in an interview on Friday. “It’s easy for you to be taken advantage of by your agent, your financial advisor, your lawyer. They all know each other. I wasn’t the smartest kid, but I was extremely street smart. I knew I had to protect my money.”

Giannis, 30, said he’d like to play basketball until he’s 40 years old like LeBron James, “maybe 45,” he said. He’d just like to have something to fall back on when he’s no longer earning those NBA millions. He’s on a three-year contract paying him $175.4 million, with a $62.8 million player option for the 2027-28 season.

Right now, though, he’s still at the peak of his playing career as he proved in Saturday’s first game of a semifinal doubleheader. He scored 32 points, adding 14 rebounds and nine assists falling just short of a triple double.

“Physically he’s in a great place. His basketball IQ, I mean mentally, he’s probably in the best place of his career,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “It says that by his numbers, by his passing, by his ability to read defenses. Even in the short time I’ve been here, it’s light years seeing how well he handles different situations defensively.”

In his new business Giannis is already investing his own money, although he declined to disclose that level of commitment. His initial capitalization incudes Unrivaled, a new professional 3 vs. 3 women’s basketball league, and Candy Funhouse, a unique developer of inventive confections.

BYL Ventures plans to expand on Giannis’ past experience as an entrepreneur and investor, from launching Improbable Media, to investments in the Milwaukee Brewers, Nashville SC and LA Golf Club.

He said his growth in this industry was driven by a thirst for knowledge in that area. When his mother and father moved from Nigeria to Greece in 1991, “they knew nothing about investment,” he said.

“They weren’t fortunate enough to get educated in that area,” he said. “When I came to the NBA, I [also] knew nothing about investment. You’re 18 and you have a lot of money. Millions of dollars. Nobody gives you that knowledge. You don’t have the time to get the knowledge and know what to do with that money.”

Giannis noted that “60% of young athletes just blow through their money.” He said he tapped the knowledge of people who taught him the investment business and how to protect himself. Now he’s intent on sharing that knowledge.

“I’ve gotten smarter about things that I’m passionate about,” Giannis said. “With my access and platform, I can help a lot of young players who are not fortunate enough to have my platform.”

As far as his brand is concerned, heading into the Cup finals isn’t going to hurt. Last year the Bucks came to Vegas and lost a semifinal game to Indiana. The Bucks had a three-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but couldn’t close the deal.

This year, he was intent on leading his team in another direction. And this time, the Bucks held the Hawks to 19 points in the fourth quarter.

Beforehand, Giannis shared his philosophy with his teammates much like he counsels young investors.

“Enjoy the game, take it a possession at a time and win the game. That’s it,” Antetokounmpo said. “If we compete, we’ll win the game.”

What happened Saturday is just a microcosm of the young season. After a 2-8 start, the Bucks have won 12 of their last 15, including all five Cup games. They were 4-0 and won their division in group play.

“In the beginning of the season we tried to do it by ourselves. It had a bad effect on the team,” he said after the game. “We figured out we have to compete as a team, move the ball as a team, compete together. We’ve changed our season around, but we have to keep going. The job is not done.”