Source: Mike Coppola / Getty
Giannis Antetokounmpo has officially turned the Milwaukee Bucks into a family affair.
While his brother Thanasis has been his running mate since 2019, his other brother Alex is officially a member of the team now, too.
24-year-old Alex has signed a two-way deal with the Bucks’ G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, which should be key to his development, allowing him to gain more playing time while also gaining invaluable experience at the NBA level.
As ESPN reports, now that Alex joins Thanasis and team leader Giannis, the trio becomes the first three brothers to ever play on an NBA team at the same time.
Since Giannis joined the Bucks, his family has relocated to the Midwest, so Alex attended high school in Wisconsin before deciding to skip college and pursue a professional career in Europe. After a brief stint with the Raptors’ G League, he returned overseas to play in his native Greece and Montenegro.
He hasn’t played in an NBA game yet, but he and his two brothers did participate in the NBA All-Star Skills Competition in 2022 and were scheduled to repeat the following year. However, Giannis was injured, so Jrue Holiday stepped in for him.
The Bucks are waiving guard Jamaree Bouyea from a two-way contract to create a roster spot for Alex, which could raise more critiques about the nepotism allegations that Giannis has received before about pulling strings for his brothers.
But former teammates credit the brothers’ athleticism, with Jeff Teague saying Thanasis being around helps Giannis “reach new heights.” At the same time, Damian Lillard agreed that he’s an integral part of the team.
“Here’s the thing about TA. People try to be funny, but I would put good money that a lot of those people talking on Twitter wouldn’t be able to beat him in the game of one-on-one,” Lillard told Complex. “Like, defensively. he’s big, he’s strong, he’s athletic, he’s competitive. It’s disrespectful. I see a lot of stuff on social media about TA. There’s people who think they are more talented or have more ability, but they could never take his spot. You’re not going to find a guy that’s more about the team and shows up and works hard.”
But see how social media is reacting to the historic move below.
