Giannis Reacts to Taylor Jenkins HC Hire Amid Uncertain Future with Bucks, NBA Trade Rumors
It remains to be seen whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will play for new Milwaukee Bucks head coach Taylor Jenkins, but the star forward likes the hire.
"I think he's an incredible person," Antetokounmpo said of Jenkins, per Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Obviously, he's an incredible coach. … He had incredible culture in Memphis. … I don't think Milwaukee is just getting just a good coach, I think they're getting a good person. And that's where it starts.
"Having a good person around that's gonna be able to set the tone, that set the culture and what Milwaukee Bucks basketball is all about. He's a really good coach."
Notably, Antetokounmpo said, "we'll see" when asked about the possibility of being coached by Jenkins.
The comments came as the future Hall of Famer's future with the franchise hovers over everything, including the new hire.
Bucks co-governor Jimmy Haslam told reporters Wednesday the plan is to make a decision on Antetokounmpo before the draft, which is on June 23 and 24.
"I just think before the draft is a natural time, right, because if Giannis does play somewhere else we ought to get a lot of assets," Haslam said. "And that's [general manager] Jon [Horst's] job to do. And if he's here, you build the team differently."
Keeping Antetokounmpo would certainly make Jenkins' job easier, as he is one of the best players of his generation with a resume that includes a championship, NBA Finals MVP, two league MVPs, a Defensive Player of the Year, nine All-NBA selections, five All-Defensive selections and 10 All-Star Game nods.
Jenkins knows how special of a player Antetokounmpo is, as he was an assistant coach for the 2018-19 Bucks team that advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Milwaukee came nowhere close to reaching that mark in 2025-26, missing the playoffs entirely as Antetokounmpo was limited to just 36 games. He called it "one of the toughest seasons of my career" on social media, which was notable for more than just the injuries and losing.
After all, ESPN's Shams Charania reported last month about the "fractured relationship" between the star player and the organization. There were trade discussions before the season even started and a preference for the team to shut him down after he suffered an injury in March.
While he never returned to the court, he wanted to play alongside his brothers and believed he was healthy enough to do so.
Antetokounmpo told reporters on April 3, "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."
Where it goes could determine how successful Jenkins is as the head coach, at least in the immediate future.
