Basketball

No more Antetokounmpo brothers playing with Giannis

One thing that is clear to any fans that follow Giannis Antetokounmpo, is that he values family as much as anything in this world. After the Miami Heat pulled off the blockbuster trade to land the Greek star, many assumed that meant his brothers, would also be coming to play for the Heat.

That might not be the case though as Ramona Shelburne, a senior writer for ESPN covering the NBA, has reported that it is not expected for Giannis Antetokpumpo's brothers to ultimately land in Miami.

"There won't be any more Antetokounmpo brothers in Miami. That whole ‘we have Kostas and Thanasis on the team' I don't think that's going to continue from what I understand."

This would be a big change in how the brothers have operated in recent years, especially if Thanasis does not become a Heat player to join his brother. He has been on the Milwaukee Bucks since 2019, winning a championship in 2021, with Giannis. Thanasis is currently a free agent.

This report seems to be confirmed by the recent news of the youngest brother, Alex, singing with Greek team Promitheas, signaling that he will not be in the NBA next season. Alex spent last season on a two-way contract splitting time between the Wisconsin Herd and the Milwaukee Bucks.

It will be interesting to see if there will be any impact on the performance of Giannis without the comfort of his family being on the team. Though this will be a change, it does signal that the Heat are purely focused on winning the NBA Championship and do not have any space for handouts.

The case for Thanasis

Though the report is that no more of the Antetokounmpo family will be joining their brother, I do believe one of them provides value to the team. That being Thanasis. Now it has very little to do with his play on the court and everything to do with who he appears to be as a teammate, especially for Giannis.

I truly believe every team needs to have a locker room guy like Thanasis. Someone that no matter how the game is going will be there to pick the team up and keep his teammates minds focused on the game.

He also can be considered an "enforcer" that defends his teammates. He reminds me of Heat legend Udonis Haslem, who towards the end of his career was more of a coach and important locker room piece than a contributor on the court.

Only time will tell what happens with Thanasis contract situation, but it looks grim for him based off Shelburne's report.



This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/heat/onsi as No more Antetokounmpo brothers playing with Giannis.

Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published June 27, 2026 at 9:35 PM.

Sports Pass is your ticket to Charlotte sports
#ReadLocal

Get in-depth, sideline coverage of Charlotte area sports - only $1 a month

VIEW OFFER