Referees allowed Giannis Antetokounmpo to walk all the way back to Athens on Tuesday night.
The Milwaukee Bucks star took several steps too many in the first quarter of his team’s marquee matchup against the New York Knicks at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo attacked Karl-Anthony Towns off the dribble during a fastbreak opportunity and appeared to travel across the state of Wisconsin to get to the basket.
Giannis walked across the state of Wisconsin without a travel call 😂pic.twitter.com/JnvQDNOeov
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) October 29, 2025
The referees swallowed their whistles and counted the basket to cut the Bucks’ deficit 16-10. The broadcast booth was in disbelief at the call, with Reggie Miller joking to Jamal Crawford that they could come out of retirement if referees gave them the same leeway.
Mike Tirico tried to explain that the gather step rule has allowed players to finish plays that look ever-so-close to being travels without actually bending the rules. But given how the Greek Freak took about six steps after his dribble, even the most generous application of said rule shouldn’t absolve him of any violations.
Antetokounmpo walked all over the Knicks the rest of the way en route to a 121-111 Milwaukee victory. The Bucks superstar tallied a game-high 37 points on 16/22 shooting from the floor to go along with eight rebounds, seven assists, and a pair of blocks.
Giannis has been at the center of a ton of speculation over the past few months about potentially asking for a trade out of Milwaukee. He even felt the need to respond to a report claiming his family had moved back to Greece.
All we can confirm for now is that Giannis blatantly traveled on the hardwood on Tuesday night.
