I’ve even heard that the rowdy fanbase gatherings outside the arena following playoff victories that the Knicks are known for have resonated given his natural fondness for the emotionally charged support so prevalent for basketball and soccer clubs throughout Europe. marcstein.substack.com | Dec. 8, 2025
After some further calls, I can confirm that the Knicks — as well as playing in Madison Square Garden — were the specific “temptation” that Giannis himself publicly acknowledged on Bucks Media Day as an outcome he pondered during the summer. marcstein.substack.com | Dec. 8, 2025
I can share, from my own reporting, that team officials have tried as hard as they can to operate as normal in the wake of ESPN’s report earlier this week that Antetokounmpo and his agent Alex Saratsis have re-opened discussions with the organization about the player’s future. It’s an approach Milwaukee has maintained since unveiling Myles Turner as its marquee free agent addition in July at a press conference set up adjacent to a concourse at the Thomas & Mack Center during Las Vegas Summer League. marcstein.substack.com | Dec. 8, 2025
Chris Haynes: He referred to an interview he saw with Michael B. Jordan and Denzel Washington. In that interview, Denzel told Michael: “What is stopping the masses from going to your show? And when they do go, are they going to come in droves? Because I can make the case that they already see your social media—and so you’re already visible—so why would they go to your shows in droves?” Giannis said he looked at it from that standpoint. He told me: “You know what? I’m deleting all my social media stuff.” “I’m only leaving a couple championship photos out there.” “If people want to see me, come to the games, and I’ll give you all of me and showcase what I can do.” YouTube | Dec. 6, 2025
Social media was chatting—not about the Bucks being 10–4—but about Giannis’s habits on social media when he decided to erase some Bucks content from his Instagram. What can you tell us about that? Chris Haynes: Yeah, I spoke to him about that, and he said—listen—when it comes to his social media, he did that around three or four weeks ago. He said not only did he delete Bucks photos and videos, but he also deleted family photos and videos. He told me that, right now, what’s most important in his life is confidentiality and privacy. YouTube | Dec. 6, 2025
Chris Haynes: I did reach out to Giannis, and he spoke to me about just being where his feet are planted. He said that’s where his focus is. He reminded me of something he said five years ago: “Chris, remember what I told you five years ago?” I said, “No, tell me.” He said, “There are people who see a door and want to hurry up and escape through it. But I see a wall and I want to run through the wall and make things work.” He said that’s his focus—run through the wall, make things work, get healthy, and be there for his team. He also said he doesn’t know what’s going on behind the scenes with the front office regarding his future. His focus is getting healthy and not running from situations. YouTube | Dec. 6, 2025
The reluctance of teams to trade multiple first round picks into the future is expected to impact the trade packages for Davis and potentially even Giannis Antetokounmpo. “What I’m telling you is that when I talk to executives and these executives are not in trade talks with the Bucks or another for a star player right now, the mood in the NBA right now is not give up four first round picks for anybody,” said Brian Windhorst on The Hoop Collective podcast on Friday. “Okay, maybe if Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) came on, or Victor (Wembanyama)… Like people don’t want to do that because the aprons have spooked so many teams. All these teams are worried about getting into apron trouble where they can’t reset their rosters. And you get into a situation like the Celtics were in where you got to rip your team down.” RealGM | Dec. 5, 2025