Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Giannis Antetokounmpo curiously leaves game amid drama with Bucks

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated Jan 23, 2026 10:40 PM ET

The Giannis Antetokounmpo situation in Milwaukee may be reaching critical mass.

The Milwaukee Bucks star Antetokounmpo had a very curious moment during Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets.

During the first quarter at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisc., Antetokounmpo left the contest to head to the locker room.

Antetokounmpo did not appear to have suffered an injury and walked back up the tunnel with seemingly no issues at all. Here is the odd video.

Giannis has just left the game for no reason at all? pic.twitter.com/OGyIs84Q4w
— BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) January 24, 2026

The former NBA MVP Antetokounmpo ended up missing over eight total minutes of game action. He exited with just under four minutes left in the first quarter and did not return until the 7:30 mark of the second quarter.

This episode comes as Antetokounmpo is in the middle of some heavy drama with the Bucks right now. With Milwaukee sitting 11th in the Eastern Conference at 18-25, noise is growing that they could potentially even consider moving Antetokounmpo ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline.

We also heard a report earlier this week claiming Antetokounmpo’s frustration with the Bucks was at an all-time high. With Antetokounmpo having publicly ripped his teammates after Milwaukee’s latest loss as well, everything that happens with The Greek Freak from here will assuredly be under a heavy microscope.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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