- - Giannis Antetokounmpo responds to home fans' jeers by booing back

Steve Gardner, USA TODAYJanuary 14, 2026 at 5:37 AM

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Giannis Antetokounmpo responds to home fans' jeers by booing back

Frustrations seemed to boil over in Milwaukee as the Bucks were trounced by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, Jan. 13.

Down by more than 30 points at halftime, fans at Fiserv Forum sent their team into the locker room with a chorus of boos.

With that memory fresh in his mind, star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo − after being fouled while making the first basket of the second half − gave the crowd a thumbs-down gesture and offered some boos of his own before he stepped to the free throw line.

"Whenever I get booed, I boo back," Antetokounmpo explained to reporters after the 139-106 loss.

Q: "You got booed at home…Were you booing back?"…Giannis: "When people don't believe in me…I tend to be against them…I've never been a part of something like that and I don't think it's fair…I've been here 13 years and I'm basically the all-time leader in everything" pic.twitter.com/QW87Cd0yHb

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) January 14, 2026

It was the same gesture Giannis has offered fans in opposing cities several times this season, but he said it was the first time he could ever remember being booed in his home arena.

"When people don't believe in me, I don't tend to be with them. I tend to do what I'm here to do, what I'm good at. ... It won't change home or away. But yeah, I've never been a part of something like that before and I don't think it's fair," Antetokounmpo said.

"I'm not going to tell them what to do and how they should act when we don't play hard. Or when we lose games, or when we're not where we're supposed to be. I don't think anybody has the right to tell me how I should act on (a) basketball court after I've been here 13 years. And I'm basically the all-time leader in everything."

Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.

" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/qBCtvd_g6b7woRsTqBHQeQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/c4dd8ff31c9df80393307745f51bfc96 class=caas-img data-headline="Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents" data-caption="

Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.

">Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.

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1 / 8Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponentsOct. 26: The Dallas Mavericks' Cooper Flagg dunks the ball past the Toronto Raptors' Sandro Mamukelashvili at the American Airlines Center.

Antetokounmpo finished with 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists as the Bucks lost their second consecutive game, falling to 17-23 on the season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Giannis Antetokounmpo boos Bucks fans in blowout loss to Timberwolves

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