New Giannis Rumors on Involvement in Bucks' HC Search After Reported Taylor Jenkins Hire

The Milwaukee Bucks are reportedly hiring Taylor Jenkins as their next head coach with no input from Giannis Antetokounmpo.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported Thursday the Bucks "are finalizing" a new deal with Jenkins to fill the vacant coaching spot that was available after Doc Rivers stepped down following the 2025-26 season. 

Charania then followed that report up with another and said, "I'm not aware of any involvement from Giannis in this search process. This was something that the Bucks genuinely led feeling like Taylor Jenkins was their guy. … My understanding is that there's been zero communication between these two sides since the deadline as far as Giannis and the organization's top brass."

Even when they didn't have a coach, the biggest source of uncertainty hovering over the Bucks was the Antetokounmpo situation.

First, there were the trade rumors before the deadline that did not materialize in an actual move. Then, there was a knee injury in March that further contributed to what Charania deemed a "fractured relationship" between the organization and its star player.

Milwaukee wanted to shut him down for the remainder of the campaign, while Antetokounmpo wanted to return to the court and play with his brothers, Thanasis and Alex. 

The NBA investigated the situation, and Antetokounmpo turned heads when he told reporters earlier this month, "For somebody to come and tell me to not play or not to compete, it's like a slap in my face. I'm available to play, but I'm not in the game. I'm available to play today. Right now. I'm available. So, I don't know where the relationship goes from there."

He ultimately didn't play again during the season, and he reportedly didn't have any involvement in this coaching decision. 

While the front office can surely hire whoever it wants, it is still notable when a franchise player doesn't have a hand in such an important decision. His future with the organization is very much in doubt, especially since there is just one more season remaining on his contract until the 2027-28 campaign.

Perhaps he would be more likely to stay in Milwaukee if Jenkins was his hand-picked coach, but that doesn't appear to be the case.