The biggest story in Milwaukee — and one of the biggest in the NBA — this offseason has been the “will he, won’t he” drama surrounding a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade request.
After another disappointing playoff exit, Antetokounmpo genuinely considered asking out of Milwaukee for the first time in his career, but chose to stick it out for one more season with the Bucks to see if the roster changes can get him closer to competing for another title. The first concrete sign that Giannis was coming back for the 2025-26 season was the Bucks agreeing to a new one-year deal with his brother Thanasis.
They went a step further Monday by adding a third Antetokounmpo, signing Alex to a two-way contract, as relayed to Shams Charania by his agent. It’s the first time in NBA history that three brothers will all be on the same roster.
Thanasis has long been paired with Giannis on the Bucks’ roster, and they now are joined by Alex, who spent 2022-24 with their G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd. It’s a not so subtle effort from the Bucks to make Giannis as comfortable and happy as possible in Milwaukee, as family is extremely important to the Greek star and he’ll now have two of his brothers with him for most of the season.
Alex will still spend time in the G League, but can be active on the Bucks’ main roster for 50 games this season. The lone basketball playing Antetokounmpo brother that is not on the Milwaukee roster right now is Kostas, who last played in the NBA with the Lakers back in the 2020-21 season.
Time will tell if Milwaukee’s plan of signing as many available Antetokounmpo’s pays off in the form of Giannis staying long-term, but they cannot be faulted for trying. That said, Giannis made it clear the most important thing is an opportunity to win a title. If the Bucks make another early playoff exit in 2026, it may not matter how many Antetokounmpos the Bucks sign, the star may re-evaluate his situation next summer and look for a new home.
