Charles Barkley fuels nepotism talks around Thanasis Antetokounmpo: "Better job security than a supreme court justice"
Charles Barkley minced no words when he slammed Thanasis Antetokounmpo following the Milwaukee Bucks' 113-110 loss to the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night at the FedEx Forum. The forward did not lace up for the game, and this saw the former NBA star call out Giannis Antetokounmpo's older brother.
The Greek international has made headlines for getting in very few minutes in games and not essentially making an impact. Together with Shaquille O'Neal, Barkley roasted the Bucks star for his lack of game time and effort.
While O'Neal called him "The Greek Bleak", Barkley upped it a notch with a one-liner, leaving everyone in splits on Inside the NBA's “Shaqtin’ A Fool” segment this week:
"Thanasis has better job security than a supreme court justice."
On the season front, Thanasis Antetokounmpo has played 23 games this season averaging 4.6 minutes per game. The stat line doesn't read much either with 1.0 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists.
When Thanasis Antetokounmpo pulled off 'Shammgod'
Earlier, Thanasis Antetokounmpo was one of the bench players who earned some playing time when the Bucks played the Charlotte Hornets. And the small forward didn't disappoint when he pulled off the 'Shammgod' move that ended with a layup.
His shot and the celebration that followed left the Bucks bench in awe as they went wild with their own celebrations.
The feat also saw Shaq share it on his Instagram stories which led to a flurry of comments on social media. The Bucks have sparingly used the 31-year-old, and he is not a typical rotation player. However, the wing showed off how good he can be even if he doesn't take the floor regularly.
Such has been the scrutiny on Thananis Antetokounmpo, that his appearance in the game is looked at as a sign of the Bucks emptying the bench for either a dominant win or a demoralizing loss.
In one of the instances where the Bucks were blown away by the Minnesota Timberwolves, a guaranteed loss saw Doc Rivers call on Thanasis Antetokounmpo, which saw Timberwolves announcer Jim Petersen declare Milwaukee was "waving the white flag."
When asked why, he replied that the forward's entry to the game meant that the team was essentially calling it a day for the rest of the unit. Thanasis has been with the franchise since 2019, playing alongside his younger brother, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
While his on-court impact isn't the kind that his brother has, the former does fall under the category of being a great locker-room presence, and that likely makes him a key member of the side.