Giannis Antetokounmpo is so close with his brother Thanasis that he appears to be reliant on him, according to former Milwaukee Bucks guard Jeff Teague.
Teague, who was on the Bucks’ 2021 championship-winning team, made the comments on The Draymond Green Show.
“Giannis ‘ brother, when we went down 0-2, he had Covid. So he couldn’t come to the plane. That’s why we were down 0-2. Giannis was messed up… They got some different kind of connection. He can’t function or play if he don’t see his brother.
“I’m being for real. It’s different, bro. He was like, ‘Where’s TA (Thanasis Antetokounmpo)? Where’s TA?’ We in the middle of a game, I’m like, ‘Bro, we in the Finals, bro. Play’… So TA makes this magical Covid recovery. I know he still had it. Ain’t no way, bruh. It’s (meant to be) 14 days, he’s back in three. So he’s back. When he sees him… they started hooping.”
Thanasis has long been ridiculed online, with his lowlight reels often doing the rounds on social media. But clearly his presence serves a purpose when the team’s best player needs him around so badly.
“His energy was contagious,” he said. “He runnin’ in the locker room, Covid and everything that he got, yelling, screaming. And I’m like, ‘Yeah, he matters.’ Like, he makes a difference for our team. When he’s not here, something’s not clicking. But when TA was there, he made it, he mattered.”
hompson took the demotion in his stride, but behind the scenes the benching formed part of his decision to leave the only franchise he’s ever known.
At Summer League over the weekend, Podziemski revealed that Thompson called him after leaving Golden State.
“Getting a call from him [Thompson] a couple days ago, and him telling me I’ll always have a brother in him for life is pretty cool,” Podziemski said.
Klay signed with Dallas earlier this month and explained that the decision was based around him getting more minutes and a fresh opportunity to chase a fifth ring.
Earlier this week, he reacted to a meme comparing the first matchup between the Warriors and Mavericks this season to the movie You Got Served.
As for Podz, he may well have a bright future at the Warriors and under the tutelage of Steph Curry, could become an extremely talented shooter.
Podziemski averaged 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per contest while shooting 45.4 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from the three-point range in 74 games and 28 starts for the Warriors.
Kevin Durant hasn’t participated in any of Team USA’s exhibition games ahead of the Paris Olympics and one NBA insider thinks his stint on the sidelines will continue into the tournament.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst provided an update on Durant’s condition and expressed his doubts about KD participating in Team USA’s first pool match against Nikola Jokic and Serbia.
“I think [Team USA is] gonna be playing Serbia without Kevin Durant… Steve Kerr met with him today and they decided he needs more time with that strained calf. … They believe he will be able to play. But the hopes are dim that he’s gonna be able to do it against Serbia,” Windhorst said on SportsCenter.
Windhorst added, “One thing Steve Kerr made very clear, he will not be replaced on the roster. … They could fly in a replacement [for KD], that’s not gonna happen. Kevin Durant is going to be on this team.”
The Miami Heat defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 120-118 in OT as Pelle Larsson (2024 44th overall pick) made the final shot of the game to reach the target score. Josh Christopher (24 points, four rebounds) and Alondes Williams (21 points, five rebounds, six assists) led Miami as Kel’el Ware (21 points, 10 rebounds) and Pelle Larsson (16 points) totaled 37 points. Josh Christopher was named Championship Game MVP. Jake LaRavia led the Grizzlies with 32 points, six rebounds, and three assists as Sco
Kerr did in fact tell reporters there is “no thought” about not bringing Durant to Paris, but the team wants him to go through multiple practices before returning, SI‘s Grant Afseth reports.
A reporter also asked Durant’s NBA rival Jrue Holiday if there’s concern about integrating KD mid-tournament.
Team USA will feature the most stacked lineup seen at an Olympic level in a long time, so filling the KD void certainly won’t be an issue for the team.
If USA are to win gold in Paris, Durant will become the all-time leader in Men’s Olympic basketball gold medals after previously winning in 2012, 2016 and 2021.
Unlike 2016 and 2021 where KD was the team’s leader, there are other veteran players like Steph Curry and LeBron James to steer the ship in KD’s absence.
Joel Embiid hasn’t seemed to jell with the Team USA system across the country’s five exhibition matches, except for their last one against Germany.
In USA’s first few warmups, Embiid looked slightly off pace with his teammates due to his slower style of play
It also hasn’t help matters that Embiid has never represented USA (or anyone for that matter) at the Olympics, unlike some of his teammates who will make their fourth appearance at the Games.
Despite the slow start, the big man showed out in USA’s 92-88 victory over Germany in the final game before the Olympics, after notching 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
After the win, Embiid spoke about how it takes him some time to find his feet in the NBA, and the international stage is the same.
“People who watch me know that every season know that it takes me a couple of games to get going and this is no different,” Embiid said after the game, via ESPN. “That’s the reason we’ve got preseason games. I feel like myself and I’m going to keep going and I’m going to be playing at that MVP level I’ve played for the last five or six seasons.”
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