The Milwaukee Bucks, to the delight of their fans and dismay of the rest of the NBA world, did not trade two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo ahead of today’s headline. In fact, recent reports state that the Bucks were never even close to dealing their ten-time All-Star despite prior revelations that they had begun listening to offers.
This development ends, for now, months of speculation that Giannis would request a trade away from Milwaukee, the city he calls home. With the team struggling at 20-29 on the season, and with Antetokounmpo himself injured, many believed the team would move their franchise cornerstone and begin a rebuild.
Of course, many of these rumors came from one source, ESPN’s Shams Charania. And the Bucks’ social media team wasted no time dragging him after the deadline passed.
The Milwaukee Bucks social media team takes shot at Shams Charania after Giannis Antetokounmpo stays put
Jan 15, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) dunks in the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
While the last few months have been filled with Giannis trade rumors, the fact of the matter is that Charania and other national media members have been trying to push Antetokounmpo out of Milwaukee for years. This season, the ESPN insider has stated multiple times that Giannis has approached the Bucks about the possibility of moving on from them, reports that both the player and team have denied.
And given today’s development, the Bucks social media team posted the following video and message:
Just In: Conversations have started about @ShamsCharania’s future, and discussing whether the ESPN Senior NBA Insider’s best fit is staying on Giannis’ All-Star Celebrity team or elsewhere. pic.twitter.com/IS6XMlQSPf
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) February 5, 2026
The wording of the statement in their post is similar to that of an earlier Shams “report” about Giannis’ attitude towards Milwaukee’s organization.
Next weekend, Giannis is set to coach in the NBA Celebrity Game during All-Star weekend, and Charania is on his team’s roster.
It will be interesting to see how the two interact, if at all, during that event.
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