It’s no secret that before he became a superstar in the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo had to go through humble beginnings in his home country of Greece. This is why, even when he already achieved success in the league, he still remained, in his own words, cheap.
As it turns out, that self-proclaimed cheapness was the reason behind the one and only time he was late to a game.
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Appearing on his brother Thanasis’ podcast entitled Thanalysis, Antetokounmpo shared that the only time he was late to a game in his career was back in 2017 against the Toronto Raptors.
“I’ve been in the league for 13 years and I’ll be very honest, I’ve been late one time. It was a playoff game and it was in Toronto and it was because, I’m sorry I’m saying this, I was cheap,” Antetokounmpo shared.
“You know how you have to switch your cellular once you get to Toronto so you can get the text messages? I didn’t do this, because I’m like ‘I’m not going to pay $50 for two days here and I didn’t get the text for the bus, so I was late for like 10 minutes, but I got there,” he added.
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Antetokounmpo was fined for being late
Even if he was only 10 minutes late, the NBA champion and two-time MVP shared that he was slapped with a fine by then-Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd.
“J-Kidd fined me, he’s like ‘Hey, we’re gonna give you a fine.’, I was like, ‘Yeah coach, 1000 percent, give it to me.'” he recalled.
Unfortunately for Antetokounmpo, the Bucks also went on to lose that playoff series against the Raptors in six games.
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Myles Turner said that Antetokounmpo was always late to practice
This anecdote from Antetokounmpo about tardiness and getting fined for it is pretty interesting since just a few months ago, a former teammate actually implied that he was late to practice all the time.
Following the Bucks’ disappointing 2025-26 campaign that saw them miss the postseason, many believed that Antetokounmpo’s time in Milwaukee was up, and it didn’t help that big man Myles Turner took liberties in pulling back the curtain, so to speak, on what goes on behind the scenes with the team.
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In an episode of Turner’s podcast with WNBA star Breanna Stewart back in May, he pretty much threw his teammates under the bus, including Antetokounmpo.
Of course, 2017 and 2025-26 are so far apart that maybe Antetokounmpo did have a little more pull, especially after becoming a two-time MVP and leading the franchise to a title. Judging from how passionately Antetokounmpo responded to the tardiness talks, it feels like it was an indirect response to Turner’s allegations.
Related: “Why is he permitted to behave like this?” – Fans blast LeBron James for disrespecting national anthem
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Antetokounmpo says he has nothing but nice things to say about Milwaukee
Later on in the video, Antetokounmpo reinforced his respect not just for the game of basketball, but also the organization that he recently parted ways with.
During the offseason, Antetokounmpo’s time with the Bucks did come to an end, as he was traded to the Miami Heat, ending a 13-year run with the team that drafted him.
According to the 10-time All-Star, he was nothing but respectful during his time there, and nobody has said anything otherwise.
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“I’ve been here 13 years, nobody has ever said nothing about me. Everybody I’ve treated, I’ve texted every single person from the Milwaukee Bucks organization one by one, for 13 years, that I knew. Everybody has the best thing to say about me, and I’ve the best thing to say about them. I’ve never disrespected any coach, I’ve never talked back to a coach,” he said.
Despite the questions surrounding his final days in Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo made it clear that he believes he left the Bucks on good terms, with his respect for the organization intact after over a decade of service.
Related: Giannis Antetokounmpo admits Erik Spoelstra changed what he thought of him
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Oct 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.