In 2013, the Milwaukee Bucks' future would be flipped on its head more than they could have ever thought. With the 15th pick in the NBA Draft, they selected an unknown talent from Greece named Giannis Antetokounmpo. The franchise's fortunes were set to turn.
The following season, 6-foot-9 Giannis could not help the Bucks as they finished last in the Eastern Conference. Fast forward to 2025, and the Bucks have missed the playoffs just once and claimed the ultimate prize of winning an NBA championship in 2021.
Now at 7-foot tall, Giannis has transformed himself, his franchise, his city, and his family's lives. The two-time MVP and DPOY has helped the Bucks go from the bottom of the barrel to serious contenders year after year.
As much as Giannis has dragged Wisconsin basketball to relevancy, there have been plenty of teammates who have contributed to the success of the franchise. Here are the 10 best teammates of Giannis Antetokounmpo's career.
Ranking Giannis Antetokounmpo's 10 best teammates
10 - Donte DiVincenzo
It can be argued that the most successful draft pick since Giannis is that of Donte DiVincenzo. Drafted in 2018, his 3-and-D play was a huge part of the Bucks finishing as the one seed in back-to-back seasons. His final season did see him miss the playoffs as Milwaukee went on to win its second-ever NBA title.
Across three seasons, DiVincenzo averaged nine points, five rebounds, and 2.4 assists with a steal per game. He was an extremely complimentary player alongside Giannis and contributed massively to their title-winning season. In 2022, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings, and has gone on to have a very strong career with the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and is now a big part of the Minnesota Timberwolves roster.
9 - P.J. Tucker
Now, P.J. Tucker may not be the most talented of teammates Giannis has had, but his impact in 2021 was integral to lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy. The Bucks needed a lockdown wing that could hit threes when needed, and they won the trade that cost them just D.J. Augustin and D.J. Wilson.
Just 20 regular season games were all he had in Milwaukee, but his role was to allow Giannis, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday to focus on offense, while Tucker went up against the opposing team's best wing. Kevin Durant was lights out for the Brooklyn Nets, but Tucker made him really work for it. Then, a big three in the Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks and huge defense in the NBA Finals earned him a title.
8 - Pat Connaughton
As the title-winning roster continues to disperse, we finally said goodbye to Pat Connaughton as a Milwaukee Buck this summer. In seven seasons in Wisconsin, Connaughton was a huge contributor off the bench, with his energy, defensive effort, and efficient offense contributing to Giannis and Milwaukee's team success.
Connaughton averaged 6.8 points, four rebounds, and 1.6 assists on shooting splits of .441/.355/.760 in 440 games. When Khris Middleton would head to the bench, Connaughton was a more than capable replacement, with his well-rounded skill set and unselfishness allowing other guys to flourish. Even in the 2024-25 season, where he found playing time hard to come by, he was still a key part of keeping the roster upbeat and providing an experienced shoulder for the younger players on the roster.
7 - Eric Bledsoe
Eric Bledsoe's playoff struggles will stand out to many Bucks fans, but let's not forget how good and how important he was in his three seasons in Milwaukee. In his three seasons, he averaged 16.3 points, 5.3 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals on splits of .478/.339/.780. He even earned All-Defensive First Team and Second Team honors in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.
Sadly, those performances never translated to the playoffs, and Bledsoe was a huge part of the Bucks' acquisition of Jrue Holiday. Had Bledsoe had a really good postseason, that trade may have never happened, and the NBA could be very different. Those big playoff drops stand out, but Bledsoe was a great teammate for Giannis and the Milwaukee Bucks during his time in Wisconsin.
6. Malcolm Brogdon
One of the lone successful draft selections for the Bucks since 2013 is veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon. In his three seasons with Giannis, the Bucks made the playoffs every year, and the former second-round pick won the 2016-17 Rookie of the Year award. His four years of college experience meant he came into the NBA with a ready skill set and was a big contributor from the start.
Brogdon has continued to have a good career, with his shooting, facilitating, and strong defense leading to many teams trying to acquire his services, even to the point of a rumored reunion with the Bucks this offseason. As a Buck, he averaged 12.8 points, 3.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and a steal per game on splits of .484/.408/.895. Brogdon was a huge part of the Bucks' rise up the standings, and who can forget his reverse dunk on LeBron James?
5. Bobby Portis
Brogdon's nickname was The President. Next up, we have the Mayor of Milwaukee, Bobby Portis. Energy, intensity, and aggression are all things that Portis has brought to the Bucks franchise. Portis is now the only other player alongside Giannis from the title-winning roster.
The lead man off the bench has been key to everything the Bucks have done since he signed back in the summer of 2020. In Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals, Giannis drops 50, others struggle, but Portis scored an incredibly valuable 16 points to close out the playoffs.
Portis has averaged 13.6 points and 8.3 rebounds on shooting splits of .494/.397/.776 in his five years as a Buck. This offseason, he signed an extension, having had another strong year with Milwaukee. He continues to be a fan favorite, and we look forward to many more "BOBBY" chants at Fiserv Forum for three more years.
4. Brook Lopez
The example you should always give when asked 'which player changed their game to extend their career in the NBA?' Brook Lopez landed in Wisconsin as an old-fashioned, post-up center. Now, he is one of the best stretch fives in the NBA. Those fundamental back-to-basket skills never left him, and his ability to hit the 3-point shot consistently made him the perfect frontcourt partner for Giannis.
In 2022-23, he finished second in DPOY voting and earned a spot on the All-Defensive First Team. They were the best defensive frontcourt in the league when the Bucks won the title in 2021. He averaged 13 points, 5.2 rebounds, and two blocks per game on splits of .487/.357/.825 across seven seasons as a Buck. Lopez signed with the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason.
Splash Mountain was exceptional for the Bucks, and he is sure to get a brilliant reception at Fiserv Forum when the Clippers are in town in March of next year.
3. Damian Lillard
Where Damian Lillard lands on this list is so incredibly difficult. Talent-wise, he is arguably the best teammate Giannis has ever played with. However, injuries, roster construction issues, and poor decisions with head coach hirings ultimately led to the duo never reaching the full potential we hoped they would.
September 27, 2023, was a wild day. All roads pointed to the Miami Heat acquiring Lillard. Then we got the Twitter notification from Shams Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski that Milwaukee was sending Jrue Holiday to Portland as part of a blockbuster deal that acquired Lillard.
In his two years in Wisconsin, Lillard averaged 24.6 points, seven assists, 4.5 rebounds, and a steal on splits of .434/.364/.921. There were huge moments from him, the game-winner from deep against the Kings. His first season ended with Giannis missing the 2024 postseason due to injury, Khris Middleton was on one leg, and Lillard even got hurt.
2025 was even tougher. A blood clot saw Lillard miss so much of the season, which hampered him and the Bucks. He worked extremely hard and fought his way back onto the court against the Indiana Pacers in the postseason. Then, in Game 4 of the series, with no contact, Lillard tore his Achilles tendon, putting an end to his season and putting his 2025-26 season in doubt.
It didn't go how everyone wanted it to. The shock of Lillard having his remaining $103 million contract stretched across four years also caught Bucks fans by surprise. The pair may have only had two seasons together, and they never reached the heights we all hoped. But, we won't forget Dame Time in Milwaukee.
2 - Jrue Holiday
Alongside Tucker, Jrue Holiday was one of the most important acquisitions in Milwaukee Bucks history. Bledsoe's struggles in the bubble led to Jon Horst pulling the trigger on a deal to trade for Holiday, the final piece of the hurdle to win the ultimate prize. A lockdown defender that could contribute on offense was what the Bucks needed. Guarding opposing teams' best players allowed Giannis to rest on defense, and Lopez could drop into the paint.
In his three seasons, Holiday averaged 18.5 points, 6.8 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals on splits of .494/.395/.803. The end of his tenure in Milwaukee wasn't great, with him really struggling in the first-round defeat to the Miami Heat in 2023. That overshadowed his great performances, but he was so valuable to the team's success. He earned All-Defensive First Team honors twice and Second Team honors in those three years. Of course, he went on to join the Eastern rivals Boston Celtics, won another title, and now is joining Lillard as a Trail Blazer.
1 - Khris Middleton
There could only be one man who would take the top spot. Khris Middleton. All the talk about which one is Batman and which was is Robin, who cared? Giannis and Middleton certainly didn't.
The duo spent 11 seasons together before Middleton was traded away to Washington before the trade deadline. Milwaukee's success revolved around these two, earning both the likely honor of having their 34 and 22 jerseys retired and in the rafters for future generations of Bucks fans to learn about two special players who did so much for the community.
Injuries hampered Middleton in the final few years as a Buck, but he still averaged 17 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and a steal on splits of .460/.388/.879. Giannis and Middleton complemented each other. The three-time All-Star could close out games and create looks for himself when the Bucks needed it most; that was essential when Giannis was attracting all of the attention.
Milwaukee was in the basement of the Eastern Conference. There was chatter of the team being relocated, leaving Wisconsin without an NBA team to support. Then these two came along. The highs, the lows, they have seen it all, but one thing they always did was give their all to the Bucks organization and Milwaukee as a city and community.
Middleton should have his jersey retired alongside Giannis' when the time comes. Milwaukee won't have to wait too long to see Giannis' greatest ever teammate back at Fiserv Forum, with the Bucks opening the season against the Wizards on October 23. A tribute video will certainly be played, along with the raucous crowd giving Middleton a warm welcome.
There we have it, Giannis' top 10 best teammates. Myles Turner, ability-wise wise can't be far off already, but we will have to see how their time together pans out when we revisit this list in the future. Giannis is still a Buck regardless of what the media says. Who knows what this upcoming season holds for Milwaukee and who could join the esteemed list as one of the Greek Freak's best teammates?