"He about to get a supermax in Giannis trade deal" - NBA fans react to Thanasis Antetokounmpo's comeback announcement

Former Milwaukee Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo has been cleared to resume playing basketball after a long layoff due to a torn Achilles. On Tuesday's "Thanalysis Show" podcast, Thanasis revealed that doctors has given him the green light to return to the court.

The news has stirred up a frenzy among fans on social media. One fan on X (formerly called Twitter) jokingly suggested that Thanasis Antetokounmpo will be included in a potential trade deal involving his brother Giannis Antetokounmpo.

"Thanasis bout to get a Supermax in the Giannis trade deal!!

Other fans joked about his return:

"Back to average 200 claps a game and hand out 30 water bottles a game," a fan wrote.

"What career? Giannis' water boy and enforcer?" another fan added.

"Back to what? Being the 12th man?" a fan mentioned.

Others referenced to his more illustrious brother, Giannis:

"aka whoever trades for Giannis make sure you save a roster spot for Thanasis," a fan commented.

"He’ll get a great deal with whatever team Giannis gets traded to," a fan wrote.

Thanasis underwent surgery for the injury in May 2024. He missed the 2024-25 season and played alongside his brother Giannis with the Bucks from the 2019-20 season through the 2023-24 campaign and is now a free agent.

Giannis' future with the Bucks has been a major topic of discussion following Milwaukee's first-round exit in the 2025 NBA playoffs, with fans and some analysts seeing signing Thanasis as a way to potentially lure Giannis to join him on a new team.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo averaged a career-best 3.6 points per game during the 2021-22 season but saw his role diminish in 2023-24, posting 0.9 points, 0.5 assists and 0.4 rebounds per game.

---

Thanasis Antetokounmpo on Giannis trade away from Milwaukee

Thanasis Antetokounmpo weighed in on comments made by ESPN's Shams Charania about his brother Giannis. Thanasis, on a Feb. 24 episode of Thanaylsis, agreed with Charania's reporting on rumors surrounding his brother.

“You want to hear something interesting. None of them lied. None of them. Right, Thanasis said (starting from 4:02). “From one standpoint, he’s telling you, like this guy is a winner, this guy is not just going to stay there and not just win and not care, not give the city, the fans a chance to celebrate achievements going deep into the playoffs or whatever it is.”

The Bucks were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers 4-1 in the first round. This loss added to the rumors surrounding the future of two-time MVP Giannis, who is reportedly seeking another championship title.