Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t the only member of the Milwaukee Bucks family who’ll be a part of the 2024 Paris Olympics

Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t the only member of the Milwaukee Bucks family who’ll play a big part in the Paris Olympics.

Johnny Watson, the Bucks’ executive producer of broadcast and live events, will, too.

Watson and Antetokounmpo will both help lead teams — just in their own ways. Antetokounmpo will be representing his home country of Greece from the court, and Watson will be courtside as a venue producer for all men’s and women’s basketball games.

“It’s one of the most prominent sporting entertainment in the world,” Watson said. “It’s a huge deal. I’m honored.”

Watson will be show-calling, aka producing, the basketball games’ in-arena presentations with videos, graphics, music, special effects, lighting, on-court entertainment and national anthems. To pull this off, he’ll be working with a crew of at least 25 people per game who’ve come from around the world, including France, Finland, Australia, Canada and the U.S.

While this may sound like a lot, Watson’s done it before. He worked the men’s basketball games and the women’s basketball medal rounds for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Plus, the FIBA Basketball World Cup in China in 2019 and in Indonesia in 2023.

Watson said it’s nearly the same as what he does for Bucks games at Fiserv Forum. And, internationally with his team on occasion, like when the Bucks played in London in 2015 and Abu Dhabi in 2022.

Here’s a glimpse into Watson’s Olympic journey, from planning meetings that began months ago to what a day in his life will look like during the Games.

“It’s obviously an honor to be here, represent Milwaukee, the Bucks, my family,” Watson said. “It’s pretty special to be a part of it.”

From months of meetings to what game days will look like

About six months ago, Watson started having meetings for the Olympics, which ramped up as the Games got closer. Those meetings focused on processes, staffing, logistics and more, he said. Once that was solidified, planning the programs, what the shows will look like, commenced.

Watson arrived in Paris in mid-July and took an hour train ride to Lille, where the group phases will take place. He’ll head to Paris proper for the medal rounds and stay there through Aug. 13.

There will be four basketball games a day. Watson will arrive about two hours before the first for meetings and to rehearse, step-by-step, what he and his team — including talent, music DJs and graphic operators — will be doing during the game.

“Then, the doors open and you go and you start,” he said.

When the game ends, Watson and his crew will meet and rehearse for the next one.

“It makes for a really long day, but it’s the Olympics,” Watson said. “It’s the pinnacle of sport.”

Watson will be reunited with fellow Bucks representative Giannis Antetokounmpo when Greece takes on Canada Saturday. Antetokounmpo helped lead his home country into its first Games in men’s basketball since 2008 and was a flag bearer for the opening ceremonies.

Heading into his 13th season with the Bucks, Watson’s been with the organization since B.A., before Antetokounmpo.

“To see his growth and know his story now of where he came from and how much it means to him to be a part of the Olympics is pretty, pretty special,” Watson said. “I’m really excited to obviously see him and see some of the other Bucks staff here, too.”

With this being Watson’s first time in Paris, he’s carved out time to explore before heading back home. He’s planning to check out the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Champs-Élysées.

The Bucks’ Johnny Watson will be headed to the US Open in New York next

As if the Olympics weren’t enough for one summer, Watson will be off to the US Open in New York next month to be a stadium director.

As a former All-American tennis player at Coe College with numerous accolades in the sport, this is a “bucket list lifelong dream” for him.

Watson has attended the U.S. Open as a fan with his dad — who got Watson into tennis when he was 7 — around six times.

Watson helped out with the event for the first time in 2022. He mainly co-managed content for the screens at the Flushing Meadows grounds. His role this time around will be more what he does with the Bucks, he said — programming shows and making them happen.

“My main priority is the (Bucks), but the fact that they look at this as professional development, something I’m very passionate about …” Watson said. “The fact that they give me the opportunity to do this or they tell me it’s OK to do these things in the summer and other times, it means a lot to me.”