An attempt to be cheeky on Friday backfired on Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Greek Freak was the biggest name being mentioned in trade talks ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline, but ended up staying put in Wisconsin. After the madness of the trade deadline passed without him getting traded, Antetokounmpo made a post mocking a big announcement that probably had some Bucks fans’ hearts skipping a beat.
Rather than the post being about his next destination, Antetokounmpo shared that he was becoming a shareholder of betting platform Kalshi.
“Everyone is online. The internet is full of opinions. I decided it was time to make some of my own,” Giannis captioned the post.
“Today, I’m joining Kalshi as a shareholder. We all on Kalshi now.”
We all on @Kalshi now pic.twitter.com/cCNGxfLWO8
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) February 6, 2026
Several fans called out the partnership, expressing concerns about a conflict of interest when one of the world’s top athletes becomes a part-owner of a prediction market company.
A player partnering with a prediction market company? There is no conflict of interests here?
— Juicy (@InfiniteJuicy) February 6, 2026
Should be illegal for a professional athlete to be a share holder in a gambling site. Adam silver ruined the NBA.
— Heat Forum (@HeatForum) February 6, 2026
Concept of an nba player owning a gambling company 😂
— Steven Blathras (@StevenBlathras) February 6, 2026
Partnered with Kalshi when your own likelihood to get traded can be bet on there is wild 😭
— APHoops (@APH00PS) February 6, 2026
It remains unclear whether Antetokounmpo had to get the go signal from the NBA before signing on the dotted line with Kalshi. But what is clear is that fans aren’t supportive of such deals that involve giving athletes equity in a gambling site.
Antetokounmpo has a lot of time on his hands for off-court partnerships, given that he isn’t expected to take the floor anytime soon. The Bucks reportedly plan to sit Giannis for the rest of the year ahead of what’s expected to be another tumultuous offseason for both player and team.
