Jeff Teague says Giannis is a ‘part owner’ of the Bucks after Thanasis’ new deal

Superstar big man Giannis Antetokounmpo has long been the face of the Milwaukee Bucks franchise. He helped the team win its most recent title in 2021, and a move the Bucks organization made regarding his brother Thanasis indicates just how much weight Giannis Antetokounmpo carries in the organization.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo has averaged just 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds per game across 198 career regular-season contests with the Bucks and New York Knicks, yet Milwaukee re-signed him on a one-year deal recently.

In light of the Bucks locking Thanasis Antetokounmpo up for another year, former NBA guard Jeff Teague hinted that Giannis Antetokounmpo had something to do with that choice.

“I ain’t going to never say he can’t hoop, though,” Teague said of Thanasis Antetokounmpo. “He deserve — I mean, he could play in the NBA.”

Teague spoke on the notion that Giannis Antetokounmpo owns the Bucks.

“Part owner — for sure part owner,” Teague said.

Perhaps unbeknownst to some, Teague played alongside the Antetokounmpo brothers on the Bucks during the team’s championship run a few years ago. Teague was in the twilight of his NBA career by that point and played a very limited role on that title team, as he averaged just 7.4 minutes of playing time per game across 16 contests in the 2021 NBA Playoffs.

Teague appears to be convinced that Thanasis Antetokounmpo has what it takes to be an effective NBA player, but he arguably has yet to prove as much despite all the time he’s already spent in the league. After all, he’s never had all that defined of a role at the highest level, considering he has not logged more than 9.9 minutes of playing time per game in a single NBA season.

The idea that Thanasis Antetokounmpo has any untapped potential at the NBA level after all these years being glued to the bench also seems to be a stretch, as he’s on the other side of his prime years at 33 years old.

It’s reasonable to assume that the Bucks re-signed Thanasis Antetokounmpo with the hope that the move will help convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to stay in Milwaukee for the long term. The nine-time All-Star has seen his name get thrown around in trade rumors quite a bit over the last few months, though he’s still a member of the Bucks.