Sports TV networks’ debate shows regularly cover top athletes. And a lot of those athletes see the comments made there, sometimes from people tagging them, but other times just from those shows being on the televisions in team buildings. That’s at times led to pushback, and the latest case of that comes from Milwaukee Bucks’ star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
In an appearance on an episode of his brother (and fellow Bucks’ player) Thanasis’ podcast Thanalysis Show that was released Friday, Giannis praised Thanasis for the way he represents their family and more. But then he went on to say that Thanasis should go on ESPN’s First Take, because he’s tired of seeing the conversations that are currently happening there (and is only seeing them due to that show being on the TVs in the Bucks’ facility). Here’s the clip; the conversation comes around the 40-minute mark of the full podcast.
Giannis calls out ESPN 🗣️
“I’m so happy again that I have someone (Thanasis) who can set the record straight for me, my family, my organization, my city, my country…
I want you one day to go to First Take… I’m tired of walking in the facility and seeing First take…” pic.twitter.com/pLNVRKJr3B
— BucksShowYo🦌 (@BucksShowYo) December 13, 2024
“I’m so happy, again, going back, that we have somebody in our family that’s a great salesman, charming, a great spokesperson, that can set the record straight for me, for my mom, for my brothers, for my close friends, for my agents, for my team, for my organization, for my city, for my country, for everything, you know? And also, Thanasis, I want you one day to go to First Take.
Go to First Take, sit down at the table. They love you over there. Stephen A. Smith is your guy, you’re like this, sit down. No, for real. I’m tired of walking in the facility and tuning in to First Take, because we have First Take on all the TVs, and it’s like ‘Blah, blah, blah.’ I’m tired.”
Thanasis then talks about how the team turns off the TVs entirely when they’re going on a run, including during their 2021 run to the NBA title. Then Giannis criticizes what he sees as ESPN’s back-and-forth takes on NBA players based on their latest results (with that being particularly relevant for him right now with how the Bucks have improved following a slow start to the season), with that starting around 41:30:
“We are not going to let media into our facility, because this is how I believe media works. The day you beat a team. Like today, ‘Vegas baby, the Bucks are rolling, they’re going to Vegas, blackjack, wow.’ And the day you lose, ‘They suck. Get them out of here,’ ‘Trade Giannis,’ ‘He has blood in his hands,’ ‘Nobody wants him,’ ‘He can’t shoot, and blah, blah, blah,’ ‘Bad teammate and zero IQ.’ Guys, yesterday I was the best player in the world.”
Daily exposure to First Take‘s particular brand of debate certainly can be tiring, and not just for athletes. But it’s interesting to hear Giannis particularly go off on the show this way. And it’s notable that he’s doing so after, as he says, more positive comments on the Bucks and him from First Take lately; a lot of athlete pushback on debate shows has come after specific criticism from those shows, and Giannis’s overall point on First Take‘s back-and-forth day-to-day hyperbole is strengthened by him doing this at a time when they’re not particularly after him.
There’s an interesting further dimension to this, though, and that’s around Thanasis. To start with, no, Thanasis probably is not getting a First Take appearance; those tend to involve athletes averaging more than 4.6 minutes per game, regardless of who they’re related to. And it should be noted that some of the most ridiculous debate show moments in the past decade came from bringing on athletes’ family members who weren’t themselves notable, especially with LaVar Ball, and ESPN eventually went away from that years later.) Thanasis certainly can bring value to Giannis as a spokesperson, perhaps even in comments to ESPN, but that doesn’t mean he’s likely to be featured on these shows.
The other angle is Thanasis’ presence in the NBA and on the Bucks. He’s played there since 2019, joining his younger brother Giannis (who the team drafted in 2013), and has averaged 7.7 minutes per game and 2.4 points per game across his career there. His only previous NBA time was appearing in two games for the New York Knicks in 2015-16, with the rest of his pro career coming overseas. And given his limited overseas production (in his last season, 2018-19, he averaged 14.5 minutes and 5.4 points per game for Panathinaikos in Greek league play, plus 12.1 minutes and 4.2 points per game for them in EuroBasket play), he probably wouldn’t be in the NBA if not for his brother.
Thanasis’ roster spot with Milwaukee has sparked a lot of discussion over the years, and that’s particularly intensified this year around the conversation of the Los Angeles Lakers drafting Bronny James (who’s averaging 2.6 minutes and 0.7 points per game this year at the NBA level) to play with his father LeBron. But, interestingly enough, First Take‘s Smith recently deployed a strong take in a guest appearance on the Full Send podcast (three weeks ago), defending Thanasis’ presence with the Bucks as useful to bolster Giannis and saying it’s not like the Bronny situation:
“Having his brother there with him to travel with him, to talk with him, to mingle with him, etc, etc, it means everything to him, because his spirit is in the right place, and the Milwaukee Bucks benefit from that. That’s an entirely different scenario than LeBron James, who’s been in the league for two decades, and then, you know what, your son is on the team, and everybody and their mother knows the only reason that that is the case is because you are there.”
It’s unclear if either of the Antetokounmpo brothers was aware of that take. Full Send probably isn’t on the Bucks’ facility TVs, but it’s possible that this is part of what Giannis meant with “Stephen A. Smith is your guy.” But it is interesting that Giannis went on Thanasis’ podcast to blast ESPN and First Take shortly after Smith defended Thanasis.
[Basketball Network, Thanalysis Show on YouTube]
