ESPN wants to get Giannis Antetokounmpo on the New York Knicks so badly that the network is inventing alternate timelines to make it happen.
Forced to wait until the summer before ESPN’s talking heads can resume discussing the idea of Antetokounmpo leaving the Milwaukee Bucks, ESPN.com decided to publish an alternate history of sorts from the events of 2021, imagining the fallout if Kevin Durant’s foot hadn’t famously been on the three-point line.
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It can’t be denied that the Bucks experienced an amazing dash of fortune in the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals, when the Brooklyn star Durant hit what looked like a game-winning three-pointer in the final seconds of regulation. But with his toe clearly on the line, the shot was ruled a two-pointer, and the Bucks won in overtime en route to the 2021 NBA title. It was the first Bucks title in 50 years.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo poses with his wife, Mariah, mom, Veronica, and children after he was recognized for being named an NBA All-Star for the 10th straight season on Feb 6, 2026.
Scroll through this gallery for a collection of photos of Giannis with his family over the years.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo poses with his wife, Mariah, mom, Veronica, and children after he was recognized for being named an NBA All-Star for the 10th straight season on Feb 6, 2026.
Scroll through this gallery for a collection of photos of Giannis with his family over the years.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Antetokounmpo brothers: Thanasis Antetokounmpo, from left, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kostas Antetokounmpo and Alex Antetokounmpo attend the “Rise” press junket at The Hollywood Roosevelt in Los Angeles, California on June 21, 2022. A movie on Disney+ was made about Giannis and the family.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Feb 15, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Team World forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) of the Milwaukee Bucks poses with his children Liam Antetokounmpo and Maverick Shai Antetokounmpo on the red carpet before the 75th NBA All Star Game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Feb 15, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Team World forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) of the Milwaukee Bucks walks with his children Liam Antetokounmpo and Maverick Shai Antetokounmpo on the red carpet before the 75th NBA All Star Game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Feb 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Team World forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) of the Milwaukee Bucks in between games during the 75th NBA All Star Game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Feb 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; eam World forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) of the Milwaukee Bucks looks on in-between games during the 75th NBA All Star Game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Feb 13, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family arrives on the green carpet prior to an NBA Celebrity All-Star basketball game at Kia Forum. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Feb 13, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Giannis Antetokounmpo, right, and his mother arrives on the green carpet prior to an NBA Celebrity All-Star basketball game at Kia Forum. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Feb 6, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) warms up with his son Maverick, age 4, before game against the Indiana Pacers at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo kisses his wife, Mariah, before their home opener against the Chicago Bulls on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The two were married in late August in Greece.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo holds his son, Maverick Shai, while being honored for his career accomplishments before their game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, April 7, 2023, at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) Thanasis Antetokounmpo (43) show off their championship rings during Milwaukee Bucks ring ceremony before the season opener against the Brooklyn Nets at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Greece’s Giannis Antetokoumpo reacts with his sons Liam and Maverick as he celebrates Team Greece beating Croatia in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics on July 7, 2024.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and his longtime partner Mariah Riddlesprigger at the Milwaukee Diaper Mission on Sept. 11, 2023.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Milwaukee Bucks MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo holds his son, Liam, who isn’t quite sure what to make of the team’s mascot Bango at the inter-squad scrimmage on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021, at Fiserv Forum.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Giannis Antetokounmpo teamed up with two of his brothers during NBA All-Star Weekend in 2022. Giannis Antetokounmpo, from left, was joined by Alex Antetokounmpo and Thanasis Antetokounmpo for the Skills Challenge at Rocket Mortgage Field House in Cleveland, Ohio. The brothers finished third in the three-team competition, won by a Cleveland trio.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo shares a nice moment with son, Liam, before a game against the Orlando Magic on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Liam is the oldest of three for Giannis and Mariah Antetokounmpo.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Giannis Antetokounmpo celebrates with his young son Liam after the Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA championship on July 21, 2021, at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo address 200 people at their fundraising gala in New York for the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation (CAFF). The foundation is named in honor of the Antetokounmpos’ late father.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Los Angeles Lakers forward Kostas Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo posetogether after their game on Dec. 19, 2019, at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thanasis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks celebrate the win of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference second round at Barclays Center on June 19, 2021, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Brooklyn Nets 115-111 in overtime to win the series.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (right), his mother Veronica Antetokounmpo and his brother, Thanasis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks, pose with the NBA championship trophy and NBA Finals MVP award at the International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos in Athens on Aug. 1, 2021. The Antetokounmpos were celebrating in Greece after the title.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Giannis Antetokounmpo lets his son Liam in on the game action following a scrimmage on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021, at Fiserv Forum.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Giannis Antetokounmpo (left) and Thanasis Antetokounmpo (right) interact as President Joe Biden welcomes the Milwaukee Bucks to the South Lawn of the White House on Nov. 8, 2021 to honor the team for its NBA championship earlier that summer.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Giannis Antetokounmpo and his partner Mariah Riddlesprigger are with their sons, Liam Antetokounmpo and Maverick Antetokounmpo as part of the Milwaukee Diaper Mission to hand out 40,000 diapers to those in need Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, at Hayat Pharmacy in Milwaukee.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Brothers Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) and forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo walk to take a photo during the Milwaukee Bucks media day at the Sports Science Center in Milwaukee on Monday, Oct. 2, 2023. They were teammates from 2019-24.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
With his son Maverick by his side, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokoumpo gets emotional after Team Greece qualified for the the Paris 2024 Olympics on July 7, 2024.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Giannis Antetokounmpo plays with his son Liam before the All-Star Game in 2021 with his partner Mariah Riddlesprigger looking on.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
To celebrate the birth of Maverick Antetokounmpo and help Milwaukee-area families in need, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Mariah Riddlesprigger are putting on a diaper drive in collaboration with the Milwaukee Diaper Mission, the premium baby brand Nuna and the Bucks.Giannis and Mariah hosted on a diaper drive in collaboration with the Milwaukee Diaper Mission, the Milwaukee Bucks and the premium baby brand Nuna.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Milwaukee Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo and forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) play around before during their game against the Brooklyn Nets Thursday, March 21, 2024, at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kostas Antetokounmpo (from left to right) talk after the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Los Angeles Lakers on March 31, 2021 at STAPLES Center. It was the first time the three brothers played together in the NBA and second time ever a trio of brothers played in an NBA game.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Milwaukee Bucks player Giannis Antetokounmpo, left, and wife Mariah announce a $1 million initiative to support Milwaukee nonprofits working on such issues as housing, food access and education. The initiative is funded by the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation, GE HealthCare and GE HealthCare Foundation.
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Family is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s world: Best of Milwaukee Bucks star with his wife, brothers, kids over the years
Kostas Antetokounmpo, Alex Antetokounmpo, Veronica “Vera” Antetokounmpo, Thanasis Antetokounmpo and Giannis Antetokounmpo with family attend the world premiere of Rise at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, on June 22, 2022.
The story by Zach Kram notes that Durant’s career is littered with what-ifs. In that series, Brooklyn was already missing its other two superstars, injured Kyrie Irving and James Harden, for the biggest games of the series. It’s fair to think Brooklyn was besieged by bad luck.
But it also pairs perfectly with ESPN’s Antetokounmpo obsession, including the incorrect speculation before the trade deadline that Antetokounmpo’s tenure was indeed done in Milwaukee by breaking-news specialist Shams Charania.
More: Read Giannis Antetokounmpo’s love letter to Milwaukee, the Bucks
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Kram imagines a world where Durant’s foot is safely behind the three-point line. Brooklyn goes on to win the title that year, the Bucks trade for Myles Turner sooner but still don’t find playoff success, and Giannis gets traded to the Knicks in July 2022. The Knicks go on to lose the 2023 NBA Finals to the Denver Nuggets. Damian Lillard never comes to Milwaukee – he goes to Phoenix – and the Chicago Bulls wind up with Cooper Flagg. The Bucks championship drought, of course, continues.
Heck, Kram even had Team USA losing at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, taking a gold medal away from Bucks players Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. Rude!
More: I’m tired of this Giannis-Bucks drama … and the winter’s not helping | Lori Nickel
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More: Milwaukee Bucks appear open to trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, report says
Obviously, the story is intended as a playful exercise that imagines the ripple effects of a consequential moment in NBA history, albeit one that might get forgotten outside Milwaukee and Brooklyn since it happened before the final two rounds of the postseason.
But ESPN simply can’t stop imagining Giannis Antetokounmpo somewhere else. Namely, New York.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: ESPN, still trying to move Giannis, imagines alternate 2021 reality