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After not being moved at the trade deadline, Giannis Antetokounmpo made a surprise announcement as he eyes a calf injury return for the Bucks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn’t seem to make up his mind at the NBA trade deadline. Despite the massive amounts of speculation and reporting on him being moved, the superstar is staying with the Milwaukee Bucks, for the time being.
While the trade future of Antetokounmpo was the biggest story in the NBA over the past few months, it didn’t seem to faze the superstar too much, as shortly after it was reported he was staying with his team, the Greek forward made a big announcement.
Writing on social media, Antetokounmpo confirmed that he was becoming a shareholder in the prediction market company, Kalshi.
“The internet is full of opinions. I decided it was time to make some of my own,” Antetokounmpo wrote. “Today, I’m joining Kalshi as a shareholder.”
The not-traded Antetokounmpo remains out with a calf strain suffered in January, but as he is staying with the Bucks, the latest injury update on the star signals he could be returning soon.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Kalshi Partnership
The announcement of Antetokounmpo becoming a partner with Kalshi is a bit ironic, as many were placing wagers on the next team the star would play for, amid trade rumors surrounding his future at the deadline. While the Bucks continuously led the odds, franchises like the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and even the Chicago Bulls had high odds that each would be his next team.
But now, staying with Milwaukee for the time being, Antetokounmpo is the first basketball player to become a shareholder in the prediction market company, per a press release made by Kalshi. His partnership will include Antetokounmpo being involved in marketing and live events.
“Giannis is a legend,” Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour said in the release. “He’s exactly the type of long-term partner we want to align our growing brand with, and we couldn’t be happier he’s on board.”
Giannis made up a rumor that he would leave the Bucks, causing people to bet a total of $23M as to whether/where he would go on Kalshi, an unregulated gambling/insider trading platform.
He stays in Milwaukee, and comes out today as a Kalshi stakeholder. https://t.co/rA4QSNzdIh pic.twitter.com/utLgv6ncPk
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) February 6, 2026
According to The Block, Antetokounmpo’s stake in the company is less than 1%, yet still, with their at least $11 billion valuation, that 1% is worth more than $100 million.
“I love the Kalshi markets and have been checking them often recently,” Antetokounmpo said in the company’s release. “I like to win. It’s clear to me Kalshi is going to be a winner and I’m excited to be getting involved.”
Antetokounmpo is reportedly forbidden from trading anything related to the NBA, and while the announcement of the deal was controversial, it is yet to be seen if the league will take action on his new partnership and if it violates the collective bargaining agreement or player rules outlined by the NBA.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Injury Update
Shortly after Antetokounmpo’s partnership with Kalshi was announced, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers offered an injury update on the star player, who has been out for more than two weeks with his second calf strain of the season.
After originally suffering the injury on January 23rd, Antetokounmpo self-diagnosed and said he would miss four to six weeks. Following that, Rivers said he and the team did not have a timeline for a return, but now, that has changed.
Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo tells media postgame tonight he has a right calf strain and expects to miss 4 to 6 weeks. MRI on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters before Milwaukee’s Friday night game against the Indiana Pacers, Rivers hinted that an Antetokounmpo return could be coming soon.
“He’s going to play when he’s healthy,” Rivers said on Friday. “We just got to make sure he’s healthy. He’s getting close. He’s working out. He looks good. So I would say hopefully sooner than later.”
Though he wasn’t traded at the deadline, Antetokounmpo has dealt with several calf injuries in recent years, and if he suffers another one, or even worse, an Achilles tear, that could seriously tank his trade value into the offseason.
Despite re-committing to the Bucks at the trade deadline, there is still mass speculation about Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee, and it will likely continue until he is either traded or signs a four-year extension with the team, as he is eligible to do so in early October.
But for now, the superstar is staying with the Bucks and will likely return soon in hopes of making a push to the playoffs.
Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski
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