According to ESPN's Chris Haynes, Giannis Antetokounmpo was "devastated" to discover that the Milwaukee Bucks decided to fire head coach Jason Kidd this week.

Kidd revealed to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne that the superstar called him 15 minutes before he was officially notified of his firing and offered to try and save his job.

Under the guidance of the former NBA star, Antetokounmpo has blossomed into one of the most dominant players in the NBA.

Speaking publicly for the first time since Kidd's dismissal, the two-time All-Star said he wished their conversation had remained private and admitted the whole situation made him feel "uncomfortable".

"It's kind of uncomfortable, especially for a guy like me that is -- as I said, one of my characteristics is that I'm being loyal to the people around me," Antetokounmpo told reporters, via ESPN.

"That's one of my characteristics, but it's kind of uncomfortable knowing before it happened."

The 23-year-old went on to thank his former head coach and credited him for becoming the player he is today.

"He was a big part of my success," Antetokounmpo said. "He trusted me, he put the ball in my hands, he motivated me on a daily basis, he pushed me to be great and not to be mediocre.

"I was 19 when he came and he said he was going to put the ball in my hands. The first time I wasn't ready. I told him, 'Coach, I'm not ready to create and make plays for the team.' He said, 'OK, we're going to take our time.' The next year, he put the ball in my hands and I was ready. ...

"But coming from a guy like Jason Kidd is big. He's going to end up -- whatever, if he got fired or not -- he's going to end up in the Hall of Fame. Having Jason Kidd as our coach was big."

During the three-and-a-half years he was in charge, the 44-year-old compiled a regular-season record of 139-152.

But after a promising start to the campaign, they have been in a slump throughout the month of January and dropped to eighth in the east.

The Bucks front office believed the team was underperforming with the talent they had at their disposal and wanted a "fresh approach".

Despite his disappointment at seeing Kidd depart, Antetokounmpo still has trust in the team's management and believes they are doing what they think is best for the franchise.

"Whatever they think or they can do to make this team better and make this team a championship-level team -- it can happen.," he said.

"If it's me being traded or the coach being fired or whatever move they think is the right move to make this a championship-level team, I think is the right move for it to happen."

It's unclear who the frontrunners are for the job at this stage, but it's an attractive position and there'll be no shortage of suitors to take over one of the most talented and exciting young teams in the league.