Giannis Antetokounmpo peeled away from the Bucks’ championship-trophy presentation, went to the locker room and called his brother/teammate Thanasis Antetokounmpo, who was away from the team due to coronavirus.
“Nobody can take this away from us, bro,” Giannis said. “Nobody can take this away from us.
“Wait. I got to go. Yeah, I’ma come see you. I’ma come see you at the hotel. I gotta go do the —"
Thanasis cut in: “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.”
That was Giannis’ night.
But the brothers will have more to share.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Milwaukee Bucks F Thanasis Antetokounmpo has agreed to a new two-year deal, sources tell ESPN. He played 57 games in Bucks’ championship season, plus 13 more in the playoffs.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 13, 2021
This is almost certainly a minimum-salary contract, which would pay Thanasis $1,729,217 this season and $1,878,720 next season.
It’s a little surprising Milwaukee didn’t structure this as two one-year contracts. On one-year minimum contracts for players with at least three years experience, the team pays and is taxed at only the two-year-experience minimum ($1,669,178 this season). On multi-year minimum contracts, the team pays and is taxed at the full amount. Given Giannis’ presence, it seemed both the Bucks and Thanasis could bank on a new minimum contract being offered and signed next summer.
Thanasis, 29, played briefly with the Knicks before spending the last two seasons with Milwaukee. With his length and athleticism at 6-foot-6, he can fill a narrow role as a versatile defender on the wing.
