Bucks general manager Jon Horst, head coach Doc Rivers and top assistant coach Darvin Ham all attended Greece’s opening EuroBasket victory over Italy on Thursday.
While much of the media attention was centered on the Bucks supporting his two-time MVP younger brother, Thanasis Antetokounmpo believes his hustle, energy and defense in the win helped convince Milwaukee to re-sign him, as it was first official contest in more than a year after undergoing surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon in May 2024.
“For sure. They were here after the first game against Italy, and they were excited because I was playing defense,” Antetokounmpo said (stories courtesy of Michalis Gioulenoglou of Eurohoops.net and BasketNews.com). “I was doing my job, that’s my role.
“It’s very important for every player who comes back (from a major injury) to prove himself again. Your résumé counts, I’m not saying it doesn’t, but you have to prove yourself every day. That’s professional basketball.
“It’s not that my stress is gone because I found a team. The only thing I’m thinking about now is (Greece’s Tuesday matchup with Bosnia and Herzegovina). I put in a lot of work to be able to return.”
Antetokounmpo, 33, had spent five years with the Bucks prior to suffering the injury, which sidelined him for the entire 2024/25 season. He finished Greece’s win over Italy with six points, three rebounds, one steal and one block in just under 14 minutes of action, including hitting a key three-pointer late in the fourth quarter, per BasketNews.
The Greek national team advanced to the knockout round of EuroBasket 2025 on Sunday, as we relayed in a separate story.
I wonder if Thanasis’s contract will be moved to GSW too sometime after December 15 when the two teams complete their megadeal. This is a great rumor I heard via dozens of sources online, that I am posting about on the RUMORS site, but if you say it out loud on the RUMORS site, it makes many soft as butter losers mad as hell on here on the RUMORS site.
It’s almost like many people who post on here do not know what a RUMOR is. Or something. Calm down.
Megadeals are significantly easier to complete in the summer, rather than in-season. Keep dreaming.
Yeah, like this season is so regular and normal! There totally are not new aprons and hold ups in free agency causing a huge backup of signings or anything! It’s 100% identical to all other offseasons!
Davey is right. He 100s of great online sources for NBA rumors. Funny. They are all named Ai.
They are all named “hoopsrumors.com”. Odd you don’t agree. I removed you from my mute list out of trying to be nice to everyone and you just physically cannot stop talking about me, can you? Talk hoops, not me, or shut up.
Championship, Bucks just secured the title this year.
Huge signing. They missed him last year
……lol
Is this guy really that delulu to think that the bucks staff watching one EuroBasket game is the reason he got resigned? It has nothing to do with the fact that his little brother is their best player?
He cannot seriously believe that they re-signed him because of his hustle… But then, what is he going to answer? “You see, I’m lucky they want to keep my brother happy”?
Talented Thanasis twirls towels tenaciously.
Excellent alliteration
Bucks had no other choice.
Any Giannis trade would no doubt require his brother to be sent with him Davey J. I’m not sure he ends up in GSW uniforms but I can definitely see it happening. GSW, LAL, Miami, San Antonio, Boston… all plausible destinations at different levels of probability.
It’s funny how “Davey stating rumors repeated by Shams” = “Shams is Ai” now. Odd group of reply guyz on here.
Yeah man idk about that one. It’s been known that GSW covets the Greek freak. What team doesn’t! Lol
I know! Like, merely wanting my fave team to pair Curry with the best possible guy who might be available means Warriors fans hate me now? Weird.
If only the Warriors had signed Thanasis first.
They will be acquiring him in the big upcoming trade in Dec-Feb, along with its headliner, Giannis. Just like they would be acquiring Bronny if they trade for Lebron. Dec 15-onwards, GSW will be acquiring one of these two, as well as their kin scrubs lol
He’s a warriors fan? Lmao