Giannis Antetokounmpo’s recent social media activity has caused quite the stir among NBA fans.
On Tuesday, Antetokounmpo wiped all of his posts on X and Instagram dating back to 2021, the year the Bucks won the NBA Finals. After the mass deletion of posts, the last remaining post on his X account is an image of Kobe Bryant in a Lakers jersey. In that post, which was shared on Aug. 23, 2021, Antetokounmpo was wishing the late Bryant a happy birthday.
That post, however, led some to speculate that the nine-time All-Star was angling for a trade out of Milwaukee in hopes of moving to Los Angeles. The Bucks are off to a lackluster start to the 2025-26 season, currently 11th in the East with a 9–13 record. Giannis hasn’t hid his desire to contend for championships and has been non-committal when discussing his future in Milwaukee in the past.
With the team struggling, some felt this was his way of expressing his displeasure with how the season has played out thus far. Other, more optimistic fans––particularly those in L.A., felt his post was a call for the Lakers to come get him.
Giannis deleted all his tweets since 2021
— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) December 2, 2025
This is currently the last tweet on his TL 👀 https://t.co/vTxMX4B8Rx pic.twitter.com/D7HtEan3uJ
Realistically, a trade sending Antetokounmpo to the Lakers would be nearly impossible to pull off. For one, he’s making an average of $58.45 million over the next three years. That’s an extremely difficult contract to trade, and Los Angeles wouldn’t be able to muster up the combination of picks and young players to meet Milwaukee’s asking price.
Since the Bucks’ championship run in ‘21, Milwaukee has failed to even reach the conference finals. They’ve lost in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, and now find themselves needing to make up some ground just to claw back into the playoff race this year. The inability to reassemble a contending team around Antetokounmpo could lead him to seek greener pastures elsewhere, though, at least for the time being, it doesn’t seem as if the Lakers are a realistic destination.
Antetokounmpo’s situation in Milwaukee will be something to monitor as trade season inches closer.
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Strange Twitter Move Sparks Bucks-Lakers Trade Speculation.
