Charles Barkley is not happy with how Giannis Antetokounmpo has been holding the Milwaukee Bucks hostage in what he says is his goal to win another NBA championship.
After the Bucks were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the third straight year last season, rumors swirled around that Antetokounmpo wants out of Deer District because he does not have enough support there to win another title. But Barkley blasted Giannis on Thursday for acting like a diva while defending the Bucks for doing everything they can to please their disgruntled star.
"It's interesting how these guys, they feel like they're' entitled to play for the championship every year," said Barkley. "You got to give the Milwaukee Bucks credit. I wish a person loved me as the Bucks love Giannis. I really do. They went out and got him Dame Lillard. They went out and got him Myles Turner . They have done everything possible to try to make the Bucks win again."
The relationship between Antetokounmpo and the Bucks has been tested in recent years because they have not been able to follow up on the success that they had in 2021 when they won the Larry O'Brien trophy.
As mentioned earlier, the Bucks have suffered three straight first-round exits, the last two with Damian Lillard in tow, after Giannis asked the Bucks to trade for him. But after Lillard suffered an Achilles injury during the 2025 NBA Playoffs and the Bucks were booted out by the Indiana Pacers for the second straight year, Antetokounmpo became frustrated and was rumored to be angling his way out of Milwaukee.
The Bucks got creative this past summer when they waived Lillard and stretched his contract so they could have the salary cap space to sign free agent center Myles Turner and give Giannis another star running mate. Many thought that was the end of the whispers, but after Shams Charania revealed that the Bucks engaged the New York Knicks in trade talks this offseason, the discussion has reopened. Barkley says Antetokounmpo is lucky to have a team like the Bucks.
"Seriously, I want a person to love me as much as the Bucks love Giannis. They've done everything possible. So it's unfortunate that he feels like he's entitled to win a championship every year. Everybody wants to win a championship. But the Bucks have done everything they possibly could. It's disheartening for me to hear him thinking like, 'If we don't win a championship this year, I want to be out of here.' I hate hearing that," he added.
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Barkley knows what he is talking about.
When he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers , he joined a team that had Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Andrew Toney and Maurice Cheeks. But when those stars were gone and it was Barkley's turn to lead, he never had the same quality of teammates on his squad. And when the Sixers started losing, he was the one being blamed for the failures.
"One year we won the Atlantic Division with me and Mahorn, Gminski, Hersey Hawkins, Derek Smith. That year was the most satisfying, but we didn't have much depth. Even though our starters could play with the other team's starters, when they went to their benches, we couldn't really match that. All I wanted was some help. All you really want is a chance to win. I got three chances in Phoenix and that was all I could ask for," he added .
After the Sixers made the Conference Finals in his rookie year, Chuck never got past the second round of the playoffs after that. He was traded to the Phoenix Suns in 1992, where he had better teammates and found success.
He never won a championship, but he was an MVP in Phoenix.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 10, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
