Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks never gained control against the Minnesota Timberwolves, dropping a 139-106 blowout at Fiserv Forum.
Facing jeers from the home crowd, the Bucks superstar commented on the boos he received at home.
Giannis booed his OWN fans 👀
Yeah he’s gone 😭 pic.twitter.com/JH6YFY7d2o
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) January 14, 2026
“Never. I’ve never been a part (of that). Have I? I don’t think so. Something new for me. It doesn’t change. It’s the same thing. It doesn’t matter. I thrive through adversity. I thrive when people don’t believe in me. Doesn’t matter if I’m on the road, if I’m at home, if I’m at my family dinner, if I’m at the practice facility with my teammates. It doesn’t really matter. So, yeah, I’ve never been a part of something like that before, so it was something new for me. I like it though. I love it,” the Bucks superstar remarked via The Athletic’s Eric Nehm.
Giannis Antetokounmpo responds to the Bucks crowd’s boos
Giannis logged 30 minutes and 59 seconds, pouring in 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting while adding eight rebounds, five assists, and one steal. The Bucks fell to 17-23 and stays at 11th in the Eastern Conference.
“I was definitely booing back. When I get booed, I boo back. I’ve been doing that all season. You guys haven’t been with me on the road. Whenever I get booed, I boo back.”
The double thumbs-down gesture is one Antetokounmpo has used against fans several times on the road this season, most notably after his game-winner against the Pacers in Indiana in October and again following his windmill dunk that capped a victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Giannis’ purpose for playing basketball
“It doesn’t matter. It does not matter. I play basketball for my teammates. I play basketball for myself and my family. When people don’t believe in me, I don’t tend to be with them. I tend to be against them. I tend to do what I’m here to do, what I’m good at. I think I’m like a maverick. I’ve always been that way, so it won’t change now. It doesn’t matter if I’m at home or away. But yeah, I’ve never been a part of something like that before and I don’t think it’s fair. I don’t. But everybody has their opinion to do what they want to do,” Giannis continued.
It was a strange moment for Antetokounmpo as his own home crowd booed him. With trade rumors swirling around him and the Bucks all season, it’s again unclear whether he’s headed for a move or staying put.
Later, @LoriNickel asked a follow-up to Giannis Antetokounmpo on the booing and his boo back.
Antetokounmpo: https://t.co/9yCSiksgkT pic.twitter.com/U6TOdQsynn
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) January 14, 2026
“I’m not gonna tell them what to do and how they should act when we don’t play hard or when we lose games, or when we’re not where we’re supposed to be. And I don’t think anybody has the right to tell me what or how I should act on the basketball court after I’ve been here 13 years and I’m basically the all-time leader in everything.”
