Giannis Skipped Media Availability After Heat's Loss to Warriors Amid 3-6 Start to NBA Season

Miami Heat star Giannis Antetokounmpo chose to skip his media availability following the team's 120-100 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night, according to The Athletic's Sam Amick.

"A few hours later, after Curry dropped 29 points and Lendeborg had another well-rounded night (17 points, six assists) in the Warriors win, it spoke volumes that Antetokounmpo made the rare choice not to fulfill his media obligations," Amick reported Friday. "The frustration, for him and the rest of the Heat, is surely building."

The Heat fell to 3-6 with the defeat.

Heat-Warriors Highlights

01:32

Miami has failed to meet expectations this season after acquiring Antetokounmpo in a blockbuster trade with the Milwaukee Bucks in June.

After the Heat finished at 43-39 during their 2025-26 campaign, they were looking to rise up the Eastern Conference standings by pairing the two-time MVP with Bam Adebayo. Miami also added complementary pieces alongside its two stars, including Tim Hardaway Jr. and Klay Thompson.

The Heat opened this year by losing each of their first four games and have struggled to stay consistent since.

Miami's defensive woes have been particularly disappointing considering their starting lineup boasts strong individual defenders such as Antetokounmpo, Adebayo, Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins.

The Heat have allowed over 110 points in every game this season. Their 118.1 defensive rating represents the 26th-ranked mark in the league, per NBA.com.

Antetokounmpo hasn't been pleased with the beginning of his inaugural year in Miami.

"We're not playing hard enough," Antetokounmpo said after a 138-117 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, per USA Today's Lorenzo Reyes. "We've got to play hard, have some pride. Individual pride, first of all, and then we've got to keep one another accountable and trust one another defensively. Right now we don't trust one another. We're not giving that extra effort.

"Effort, individual pride and trust. We've got to have those three things."

The 10-time All-Star is averaging 27.3 points, 12.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game while shooting 56.0 percent from the field this season.