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Apr 10, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) waves towards fans following the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Giannis Antetokounmpo dealt with an injury-plagued season, and now he's on the trading block.
That hasn't stopped the Milwaukee Bucks forward from enjoying himself as an athlete this offseason in a different way -- he's playing some soccer.
A clip has gone viral of Antetokounmpo on the pitch, and it's quite the sight. He has impressive grace and footwork for a man of his size -- which, to be fair, shouldn't be that surprising given his movement on NBA courts.
Antetokounmpo has Nigerian heritage and grew up in Greece, so there was surely plenty of 'football' being played between him and his brothers.
Dame wouldn’t even workout in the summer as he awaited his trade due to fear of injury and messing up the chance to get traded.
Giannis is out here playing soccer after missing much of the season with a strained calf. He is not acting like someone awaiting a pending trade.…
The reality is that Antetokounmpo isn't letting his reality hold him back.
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Why is Giannis playing soccer?
Antetokounmpo saw the social media criticism, and he took to his own account on X to provide a simple explanation:
"Just because people in my position take things for granted, why should I?! I enjoy playing!"
Antetokounmpo signed off the message with a 100 emoji and a fingers crossed emoji.
Clearly, it wouldn't be good if he got hurt doing something like that. He could also get hurt doing basketball workouts, too, so nothing is foolproof.
Antetokounmpo simply took an opportunity to get out there and have some fun. There are plenty of worse things to be doing. He just wanted to play some soccer.
English (US)