The Antetokounmpo era in Milwaukee is officially over. Months after Giannis was shipped to Miami in a shocking trade without his elder brother’s knowledge, Thanasis is now heading back home seven NBA seasons and a championship later.
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There was a glimmer of hope that the Heat would consider keeping Thanasis and Giannis on the same roster for familiarity and chemistry reasons, but as league insider Ramona Shelburne suggested earlier this offseason, that boat has sailed.
Thanasis, 34, signs a ‘2+1’ multi-year contract with Greek powerhouse Aris Basketball Club in Thessaloniki led by head coach Vasilis Spanoulis. Year 3 will reportedly be a team option. The veteran forward joins his younger brother Kostas, who signed a three-year deal with them less than two months ago.
Interestingly, the youngest Antetokounmpo brother, Alex, also signed for Greek basketball club Promitheas Patras B.C. after a brief stint with the Bucks last season. It marked the first time three brothers were on the same roster in NBA history. Months later, they’re navigating new chapters on opposite sides of the globe.
Aris confirmed Thanasis’ arrival with a rhetorical social media post, asking, “Who was absent?” (translated by Google), followed by a graphic of the Antetokounmpo brother landing in a city of ruins, which looks like a scene out of the Percy Jackson series. Thanasis added it to his Instagram story with Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” playing in the background.
Giannis also took to his Instagram to celebrate the move, sharing the graphic of Thanasis wearing his new #43 Aris B.C. jersey. The Greek Freak added a green checkmark and a “100%” emoji over the graphic, signaling his full approval.
The move comes as Giannis adjusts to his first season with the Heat, something that Thanasis called “hard and exciting at the same time” in July. Earlier this offseason, Thanasis also defended his younger brother from fans and, indirectly, his own teammates (Myles Turner) from claims of being unprofessional.
“Everybody trying to spin and say, ‘He said, and they said,’ and try to shift blame so they don’t look bad, it’s okay, guys. It’s done,” Thanasis said. “You don’t need to shift blame, okay? This is what it is. It’s sports. But to create all these things and to come out on the podcast and say, ‘Yeah, he’s not professional.’ Who is not professional? Giannis Antetokounmpo is not professional?”
Thanasis sat down and debunked every rumor claiming Giannis gave the Bucks a hard time for not trading him. It was a whole fiasco in itself, with even league insider Shams Charania bearing the brunt of constant reporting around the Greek Freak. Thanasis, however, stayed by his younger brother’s side throughout.
Thanasis logged seven NBA seasons, beginning with two games for the Knicks in 2015-16 and continuing through six seasons with the Bucks, serving as an energetic defensive wing and locker room leader during the 2021 championship run.
After missing the entire 2024-25 NBA season due to a torn Achilles tendon and returning for a brief stint in 2025-26, the 34-year-old forward opted for a known environment and a better-defined role in Europe while Milwaukee also enters a full roster rebuild under head coach Taylor Jenkins.
The move to Greece came together through Richard Hsiao, an Antetokounmpo family friend who holds an ownership stake in Aris. His involvement created ideal “structural conditions” to bring Thanasis and Kostas on the same roster for the first time in their professional careers, according to The Eastern Herald.
Even though Thanasis was rarely a statistical powerhouse over the 232 regular-season NBA games he played, he averaged 2.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in 7.2 minutes per game. Thanasis, as Giannis once confirmed, brought tangible value to championship culture. Known for his relentless defensive energy, high-velocity screening and leadership, he earned the respect of teammates, coaches, and Bucks fans throughout his tenure.
Former Bucks head coach Doc Rivers once attested to it when he said, “[Thanasis] actually was useful because he was playing hard” and “no one wanted to practice against him.” Bucks general manager Jon Horst also deemed Giannis’ brother “a valuable part” of the Milwaukee setup.
A return to Greek basketball completes the full circle for the veteran. Before being drafted 51st overall by the Knicks in 2014, Thanasis played for Filathlitikos from 2011 to 2013. He later starred for EuroLeague powerhouse Panathinaikos from 2017 to 2019, winning back-to-back domestic titles and earning Greek League Most Spectacular Player honors twice before returning to North America.
Now joining an ambitious Aris B.C. squad competing in both the Greek Basketball League and the EuroCup alongside former NBA veterans such as Khem Birch, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and E.J. Liddell, Thanasis will showcase his post-recovery form from an Achilles injury in front of home fans.
The Greek franchise finished 14-10 last season and still made the playoffs, eventually losing to AEK in the quarterfinals.
With Giannis chasing titles in South Beach and Thanasis joining forces with Kostas in Thessaloniki, the Antetokounmpos continue to thrive in their own way.