On Sunday night, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, brother of two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, announced on his official account on X that he'll be back to play for the Milwaukee Bucks for the upcoming season. The older Antetokounmpo brother took a hiatus last season after he tore his Achilles, but the Bucks have reunited the two — which means that Giannis should still be on the Bucks roster for the foreseeable future.
Of course, Thanasis is not going to be much more than a 13th man and a towel-waver for a Bucks team with playoff aspirations. Nevertheless, he's been a beloved member of the locker room for the entirety of his career and he gives the Bucks some Giannis assurance. And they couldn't be more happier that he's back on the roster, if their reply to Thanasis' tweet is any indication.
“LET'S GO,” the Bucks' official account on X posted as a response to Thanasis' tweet.
It was in May 2024 when Thanasis tore his Achilles during a workout. A torn Achilles tendon almost always means the entire year off, and surely enough, Antetokounmpo missed the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign, with the Bucks choosing not to re-sign him while he rehabbed to make better use of the roster spot.
But with Giannis' future in Milwaukee in doubt, the Bucks certainly felt as though they had to do whatever it takes to appease their franchise cornerstone, and signing Thanasis seems to be a good way to do just that. Thanasis has been taken care of by the Bucks for so long, and this should certainly help Giannis see that the franchise just wants nothing but the best for him and his family.
Only time will tell, however, if Thanasis' presence on the roster will make Giannis stick around for the Bucks for the long haul.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo is the Bucks' ultimate Giannis assurance
The entire world knows that the main reason Thanasis is a member of the Bucks roster right now is to show Giannis just how committed they are to him. During the 2023-24 season, Thanasis played all of 34 games for Milwaukee and averaged 4.6 minutes a night while doing so. He is the very definition of a garbage-time player, and it's unlikely at all for that to change considering that he's coming off an Achilles tear.
Some may argue that signing Thanasis is nothing other than a waste of a roster spot for the Bucks. But if it helps keep Giannis in town, then that's not too high of a price to pay at all.
