Sometimes, the loudest moment of an NBA night doesn’t show up in the box score. In Minneapolis, it lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough to set the internet buzzing.

Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t suit up against the Timberwolves, still sidelined and ruled out for the foreseeable future. Yet despite the absence, the two-time MVP made the trip with the Bucks and found himself at the center of the night’s most replayed sequence after the final buzzer.

Milwaukee fell 103–100 to Minnesota, but Giannis wasn’t visibly frustrated by the result. Instead, as the crowd began to clear and cameras lingered, he stepped onto the court with a purpose: to greet Anthony Edwards.

The Timberwolves star, recently back from a foot injury, continued his strong return with 24 points, six assists, and four rebounds, helping Minnesota stack wins again. It was the kind of performance that demands respect, and it clearly earned it from one of the league’s most dominant forces watching from the sideline.

After the game, Giannis and Edwards crossed paths near midcourt. Eye contact. A handshake. A brief hug. Then they exchanged a few words before heading in opposite directions toward their locker rooms.

That was all it took.

The interaction was caught from multiple angles, replayed in slow motion, and dissected frame by frame across social media. Even the Timberwolves’ official account shared the images without a caption—letting the moment speak for itself.

Giannis and Ant are very outspoken about their mutual admiration. But that two-second hug set off a storm on the Internet. Even after Antetokounmpo had done his best to squash trade rumors. Now, fans are imagining a scary duo of the Greek Freak and Antman.

Fans go wild imagining Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Edwards team-up

Earlier this week, when the Bucks were in New York, Giannis Antetokounmpo addressed the rumors surrounding him at length with the reporters. He claimed there were never negotiations to leave Milwaukee, he’s “locked in” to return after rehabbing the calf strain, and yet said his agent is independently discussing his future with the front office.

He wanted the rumors to rest, but after tonight, that’s clearly not going to happen. The second the Wolves’ account posted pictures of his hug with Ant, Wolves fans had a virtual brow raise, smirk, and the standard, “This is what they mean when they say ‘A picture is worth a thousand words.'”

A few applauded the folks in the Minnesota publicity team for spurring imaginations. “lol admin knows what they’re doing with this one.”

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Several others had all kinds of subtle come-hither GIFs with a welcoming, “Come on in, bro,” message for Giannis.

NBA history is full of friendly interactions and public praise that sparked endless “what if” rumors, but most fizzle out without leading to a trade or team-up.

A strong parallel is Kevin Durant’s chemistry with Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors during Team USA events in the early 2010s (including the 2010 FIBA World Cup in Turkey and 2012 Olympics). Their on-court synergy and off-court bonding generated years of speculation about Durant potentially joining the Warriors.

It didn’t happen immediately—Durant signed with Oklahoma City extensions amid the buzz—but he eventually did join Curry in free agency in 2016.

Someone was more direct, “Cant wait til Giannis joins the Wolves and hoops alongside Anthony Edwards. 🐐🔥,” and got our imaginations running wild.

A few mock trades for the “Glorious kings” were proposed, most centering around Julius Randle and draft picks. Interestingly, trade watchers had ruled out the possibility of Giannis going to Minnesota when the rumors were at their peak.

Giannis seemed to prefer an elite franchise like the Knicks and Lakers over the likely trade to the Wolves or Raptors. One friendly exchange changed the trade scenario and made it easy for them to guess, “ANT said see ya in ‘Sota in a couple weeks.'”

Some might say Wolves Nation is jumping ahead, especially after Giannis showed intent to stay in Milwaukee. This might just be a dab with mutual admiration, too. Giannis spoke highly of Edwards as recently as September.

“My preference is two-way players,” Antetokounmpo said. “I like Anthony Edwards very much.” And proceeded to put him in league with Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard as his personal favorites.

Even though Giannis said one thing, he did mention that his agent is working behind the scenes on something. So let’s not rule out a possible team-up of Giannis and Ant just yet.