When Milwaukee Bucks general manager John Horst traveled to Athens in July to meet with Giannis Antetokounmpo and his agent, many believed that it was to address persistent rumors of the superstar’s alleged plot to leave the organization.
But in an interview with ESPN’s Frank Isola during the Bucks’ annual open practice session on Sunday, Horst explained that making the 6,000-mile trip to the Greek capital is a yearly activity that he and the Bucks have done to strengthen their ties with their franchise player.
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“It’s not the first time I’ve been to Athens. My kids have more passport stamps from Greece than any other country. My wife does, I do. One, because it’s beautiful, and two, because the person who I’ve worked with has been a partner of mine for over a decade, and lives there in the offseason,” he said.
Bucks GM’s trips to Athens
Horst has been working for the Bucks since 2008 as Director of Basketball Operations and has been the GM since 2017. He was the NBA’s Executive of the Year in 2019 when Giannis won his first MVP award and steered the team to the 2021 NBA championship.
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But since then, the Bucks have hit a snag, and in the last three seasons, they have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Before flying to Greece in July, Horst and his team engineered a move to keep the team competitive this season after losing Damian Lillard to an Achilles injury during the 2025 NBA Playoffs. They waived Lillard using the stretch provision so they could generate significant salary cap space and used it to sign free agent center Myles Turner.
That acquisition was one of the key discussion topics during their meeting.
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“The architect of the Bucks’ first title-winning team in 50 years laid out his vision for the 2025-26 season, saying he believed this version of the roster could compete for a championship in the Eastern Conference,”wrote Shams Charania.
“Antetokounmpo then responded. After Horst expressed his confidence in the Bucks’ roster and his moves, Antetokounmpo aired his concerns about whether this team could truly achieve championship contention, and he wanted to explore whether there would be an alternative path forward for both the team and the player, league sources said.”
Can the Bucks keep Giannis?
Charania also recently reported that the Bucks engaged in trade talks with the New York Knicks regarding Antetokounmpo, but that the discussions did not progress.
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Still, that left plenty of fans worried about the team possibly losing their superstar. However, it appears that Horst and the Milwaukee front office are on top of the situation as they have always ensured open relations with Antetokounmpo.
“So this is something that we do all the time. We do it a lot. It means a lot. And it’s not the only time in an offseason. We go to Greece multiple times, and it’s always something that we do. It’s not much different, and it’s largely about, ‘Here’s what we’ve done and we’ve done it to try maximize your opportunities and how great we can be and what do you think and what else.’ And so, this was really no different,” Horst added.
Giannis said he believes in the current Bucks roster while addressing the Knicks trade rumors. However, he also didn’t make long-term promises about staying with the organization.
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No matter what happens, Milwaukee fans can be assured that their front office is working and doing its best to keep the Greek Freak in the city.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 20, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.