Thanasis Antetokounmpo Takes Charles Barkley’s Disrespect Towards Him In Stride

Charles Barkley always speaks his mind and is known for his unfiltered responses. With his blunt honesty, he often ends up hurting people, especially those who aren’t used to it. However, at the receiving end of Barkley’s comments, Thanasis Antetokounmpo knew how to take words in the right spirit. During a recent conversation with Bootleg Kev, the 31-year-old talked about Chuck’s disrespectful remarks about him.

Interestingly, he showed a positive outlook on it. During their discussion, Kev asked, “Everyone’s journey to the league is different…You’ve heard Charles Barkley say, ‘Yo, he’s always gonna have a job because of his brother’. Do you care?”

While most people, especially NBA athletes, would have taken such harsh words to heart, that’s not how Thanasis sees things. All he saw in Chuck’s comment, was a compliment.

He said, “That’s a compliment because that means I’m a good person and… nobody gives you nothing if they don’t like you.” The NBA Champion added that nothing is guaranteed in this world and if people are keeping him around and paying him money, he must be doing something right that often goes under the radar. He said,

“You have to bring something to the table. I actually like Charles Barkley and I actually like Shaq…when I meet them, it’s fun.”

Thanasis is humble, without a doubt. However, he has averaged 2.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in his career so far.

So, these numbers do call for him to be addressed as the ‘Greek Bleak’ by Shaquille O’Neal, or Barkley saying, “That man right there (Thanasis) got the best job security in the history of civilization.” Regardless, there is one person who sees immense value in his presence, and that is his brother Giannis.

Giannis Antetokounmpo blindly trusts his brother’s decisions

Of the two brothers, Giannis is the bigger star, a bigger success, and the better player. This is indisputable. However, Giannis can’t do everything on his own and that is where his blood relation comes to his rescue.

During a conversation with The Athletic, in 2023, the Greek Freak talked about how he blindly trusts his brother’s opinion on his career. He added that this bond has been with him since he was a baby, and he cherishes it more than life itself. Giannis said,

“Obviously, I trust Thanasis to death. Me and Thanasis, we haven’t separated ourselves since I was born. We were always there. He always looks out for me and has my back in so many ways. I have his back in so many ways. It’s a judgment that I trust blindly.”

So, for people who still don’t get it, keeping Thanasis around is the better choice because it helps Giannis stay in the right head space, which in turn benefits the Bucks. Maybe that’s the most important thing the older brother “brings to the table” for his franchise.