Nickel: We're hearing more from Thanasis Antetokounmpo on 'Thanalysis' and that's a good thing
Imagine sitting in the Milwaukee Bucks locker room, pregame. Or on the team bus, on the way to the airport. Next to Thanasis Antetokounmpo. And his mates. Malik Beasley. Damian Lillard. Just listening to them talk.
About hooping, of course, but also about lessons and regrets. Redemption stories and mentors. About the climb up and the holding on. But better still, about hopes for their children, pride in representing the name on the back of their jerseys, their upbringing and backgrounds.
That’s how the second season of the "Thanalysis" podcast is.
The fifth-year Milwaukee Buck, famous and sometimes infamous for being Giannis’ big brother, pulls up a chair and invites us to sit next to him and listen to his guests share their sources of inspiration. And those guests are well-known names in professional sports and certainly your favorites in a Bucks uniform.
"Thanalysis" resumed about a month ago and has stretched to 35 total episodes so far, with more planned. The 31-year-old records the pods at Nō Studios in Milwaukee. He's not looking to make money off them, he said. Asked semi-jokingly if he offers any compensation for guests who appear, he laughs.
“I don’t even have a budget! I’m independent,” said Antetokounmpo.
This is for fun and it shows. You won’t get the stuffiness of a formal interview. It doesn’t feel like a product shrunk down for a TikTok attention span. This is unpretentious and unrushed. And Antetokounmpo is giving a little more of his voice this season.
“I feel like a lot of people wanted to know about me,” said Antetokounmpo last week just before leaving for the Bucks' west coast trip. “About me having a little bit more solo podcasts and more up-to-date stuff. So I was like, OK, you know, I'll try do a little bit more about me as well.”
That, in a nutshell, explains it. For those who want a deeper understanding of Antetokounmpo and his guests, and their NBA and professional lives, this is a podcast worth the time – to pause and come back to, if needed.
For example, Beasley talked for more than an hour, but some of the guard's best comments might have been in the final 10 minutes of his chat, when he highlights the moment – training camp – he knew the Bucks had something special this season. The Bucks were on a roll in practice and worked in a zone defense just for fun – and it was over. The Bucks knew they could steamroll then and there offensively.
There’s little they won’t discuss. Thanasis and Beasley theorized a little about the pitfalls of gambling and the game (around the 39:00 mark). They talk about the legends they respect, be it Kobe Bryant or Kyle Korver. They talk about motivation.
“I wanted a more veteran presence out here,” said Beasley, on his reasons for joining the Bucks.
Players drop little tidbits, too. While many may know that Beasley’s grandfather John was a famous actor, Beasley reveals that he was an extra in the 2006 movie "Madea's Family Reunion." And, that his mother is involved in the production of a “basketball moms” type show, which could be released next year.
There are heartfelt stories too. In college at Florida State, Beasley recalls that he had (two) points at halftime at Syracuse. His grandfather John lamented that he didn’t come all the way from Omaha for a halftime like that. "You’re a Beasley. Let’s go." And that was enough for Beasley to go on to score 18 of his 20 points in the second half for the win.
Maybe it feels like we are still just getting to know Lillard in Milwaukee, but he opens up with Antetokounmpo – especially about the last-minute trade and move from Portland to Milwaukee. “Change is heavy” emotionally, Lillard said, a perfect analogy. His description of building his family support system of his mom, sisters and extended family around him in Portland, only to relocate in isolation to Milwaukee, felt real and relatable.
But Lillard’s story, told to Antetokounmpo, of his stoic late-game face was compelling. In high school he hit what should have been a game-winning three-point shot, but as he celebrated with pulling off his jersey, the officials nabbed him with a technical foul at the last second. The other team was awarded the free throws and won the game back.
“I was sick,” explained Dillard. “I’m scarred from that.”
These are the kind of stories that are getting harder and harder to find. Mainstream media has less access to megastar athletes and the public’s focus on social media has changed storytelling. Antetokounmpo is filling that gap a little bit just by being himself. He’s a born storyteller, naturally curious in his own right and always interested at the humanity behind the player, not just the stats.
It means Antetokounmpo can decide when to press his guests to talk more about deeply personal moments in their lives and when to back off on what they wish to keep private.
“People do my podcast because it's an honest conversation,” said Antetokounmpo. “It is not the informative show. It's not a podcast that I want to share information.
“People ask me, 'How do you get Donovan Mitchell, how do you get all these people do your pod?'
“They told me 'yes,' because know what kind of person I am. I don't care about the viral stuff. And that's why my podcast has grown organically, because it's not about being viral. It's not about having sound bites. It's honest conversation. It's me and learning the culture, the U.S., and a lot of things that people would assume that I know but I don't know.”
Meanwhile, as Antetokounmpo fields questions about his podcast, he stops constantly to greet and hug other people, including members of the opposing team, such as Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. Everyone likes him.
Antetokounmpo jokes, “I have this gift I guess, I don’t know,” - he says with a laugh, but its incredible to watch how comfortable everyone is around him no matter who they are.
In five seasons with the Bucks, Antetokounmpo has played in 189 regular season games and scored 467 points. He played 551 minutes in the championship season. He's a sub for the Bucks, a protestor of bad calls, a hype guy for teammates, a sounding board for new ideas. He has been Giannis' confidante. He draws loud cheers at Fiserv Forum when he checks in, and sometimes jeers from opposing NBA fans, particularly the anonymous kind, on social media (not that they count; they don't).
But being "the brother" has its own unique challenges. In the Beasley segment, at the 32-minute mark, Beasley turns the tables on Antetokounmpo to ask him what it’s like to not play in the main rotation, but still maintain the same infectious high energy as if he were a starter. While Antetokounmpo is open and honest to anyone, it seems, the answer he gave Beasley feels even more genuine and revealing, probably because they’re teammates. Beasley also posed his question by saying he too could relate to going through some NBA games as a player without getting onto the court. That’s not something most people can claim.
That's why these interactions feel real and not contrived.
Antetokounmpo's podcast answer, 5-10 minutes long, is his best so far. He explains how he sees his role, his place on the team, his place in his family and the responsibility, it seems he always feels, to honor his father.
That leaves complete and total disregard for any snarky chatter out there about him. Those who judge Thanasis just for being Giannis’ big brother don’t understand Thanasis at all, not when he starts by describing himself coming from the bottom, or the "mud."
“I don’t care what anybody says; I’m part of that banner,” Antetokounmpo said on the podcast in reference to the Bucks’ 2021 NBA Finals championship run.
He explained further in the hallway of Fiserv Forum last week.
“I gave him my honest answer,” said Antetokounmpo. "I used to sell stuff in the streets. I was a kid who, you know, I've been so poor. This is my dream. I don't care how you feel ... some type of way ... about it. But I think lot of people, on the first look they don't have empathy. But then on the second look, people are like, 'Oh my God. This is not just great or amazing; these accomplishments are something historical. That never happens in life.'
"The only misconception is when you believe what they say.”
And that's what makes podcasts like his good. And probably why his guests feel comfortable with him.
There will be a special live Thanalysis podcast with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thanasis Antetokounmpo March 22, 7 p.m. at Potawatomi Casino Hotel. For tickets: www.taliveshow.com
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks' Thanasis Antetokounmpo's podcast with NBA guests enlightening
