With the trade deadline coming up in the NBA, Milwaukee Bucks superstar power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is steadily becoming a bigger name to watch.
Rumored to be someone who’ll be moved soon by Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo gave Bucks fans another thing to be worried about in the first half of Friday night’s game at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee against the visiting Denver Nuggets.
With just under four minutes left in the first period, Antetokounmpo suddenly left for the locker room. He did not seem to be injured, but the broadcast captured him going to the tunnel.
You can check out the video here:
Giannis so fed up with the Bucks he just left mid game 😭 pic.twitter.com/gBnjomZpBm
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) January 24, 2026
Antetokounmpo rises for a huge throwdown after returning to the Bucks-Nuggets game
The good news for Milwaukee supporters is that Antetokounmpo was able to return to the game in the second quarter.
And if there were any more concerns about his health following his brief exit, he surely squashed them all when he went for a thunderous two-handed throwdown off a spin move after checking back into the game.
Here’s the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player taking advantage of a small defender and nonexistent rim protection by Denver.
The spin and the flush.
Too easy for Giannis. 😤 pic.twitter.com/4l70kFkhxf
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 24, 2026
The Bucks have been struggling to win consistently in the 2025-26 NBA regular season and they entered the Nuggets game having lost four of their previous five outings. The growing saga involving Antetokounmpo and his rumored desire to be traded somewhere else is a distraction that’s not helping the team.
Still, as long as he’s in a Milwaukee uniform, he is going to be expected by his team to produce at a high level.
Jan 23, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee forward Antetokounmpo (34) holds the ball away from Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) during the second quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
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