Charles Barkley on Thanasis Antetokounmpo: ‘Better job security than a Supreme Court justice’

Former NBA star Charles Barkley doesn’t think Giannis Antetokounmpo’s brother Thanasis is going to lose his spot on the Milwaukee Bucks’ roster anytime soon.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo has spent the last five seasons of his NBA career with the Bucks organization. Before joining Milwaukee, he played for the New York Knicks during the 2015-16 regular season.

So far during the 2023-24 regular season, he is averaging 1.0 point, 0.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game while shooting 52.4 percent from the field with Milwaukee.

The 31-year-old isn’t a consistent member of the Bucks’ rotation. He didn’t see the court for a single minute in the Bucks’ final game before the All-Star break against the Memphis Grizzlies on Feb. 15. In a matchup versus the Miami Heat a few days earlier, Thanasis Antetokounmpo logged just under eight minutes of playing time and finished with two points and one assist while shooting 1-of-1 from the field.

Plus, he has appeared in less than half of Milwaukee’s games so far in the 2023-24 regular season, evidenced by the fact that he has 23 appearances to his name.

The last time he saw the court for 10-plus minutes with the Bucks was back on Feb. 9, when the team blew out the Charlotte Hornets by 36 points. Thanasis Antetokounmpo ended up with four points, one rebound, one assist and one block on 2-of-3 shooting from the field and 0-of-1 from 3-point range.

The Bucks played far from their best basketball leading up to the All-Star break. The team has lost its last two games, as prior to losing to the Grizzlies on Thursday, the Bucks lost to the Heat at home by 26 points on Feb. 13.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will have their next chance to stem the tide when they play the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road on Feb. 23. The Timberwolves own the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference at 39-16 and are on a four-game winning streak. They earned a blowout win over the Portland Trail Blazers in their last game before the All-Star break.