malcolmsfinalThe Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to sign Giannis Antetokounmpo’s brother Thanasis on a two-year deal that’ll guarantee him no less than $3 million in change – as per The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Sure, the move screams nepotism of the highest degree, but the Milwaukee Bucks aren’t exactly concealing their brown-noser inclinations from the public. At the cost of keeping Giannis happy until his contract expires or is renegotiated, signing Thanasis is a no-lose proposition.
It’s not as though Thanasis is bereft of accomplishments in his pro career, judging by the silverware he’s garnered in the Greek Championship. At worst, if he doesn’t conform to the NBA’s rigid style of play, he can be buried deep into the Bucks’ rotation as a DNP. With that said, Thanasis is actually a decent ballplayer. Within the last two domestic seasons, Thanasis has garnered the “Most Spectacular Player” award in Greece’s 1st Division (2019), a berth in the Superleague’s equivalent of the All-Star game (2019), as well as consecutive Championships – all with Panathinaikos.
Before returning to Greece for additional “seasoning,” Thanasis toiled in the G League, then known as the D-League, for the Delaware 87ers who retained his minor league rights when the Knicks’ elected not to extend him a contract offer following a 2-game stint in 2015-2016. The Knicks had picked him late in the 2nd round of the 2014 NBA Draft – ten or so picks below a then-unheralded Nikola Jokic.
