Giannis Antetokounmpo came from humble beginnings, but those stories remained under the shutter until now.
When Milwaukee Bucks forward was a rookie, he had to save most of his paycheck or send it back to his family, often leaving himself with nothing beyond the $190 per player received on road trips.
Some of his teammates, however, lived very differently. Antetokounmpo recently addressed his surprise at seeing them spend money without a single thought. Culture shock doesn’t begin to describe it.
Giannis Antetokounmpo on Crazy Money Habit He Witnessed as a Rookie
The timeline of this narrative dates back more than a decade. It was 2013 when he revealed his teammates’ crazy money habits while speaking with Taiwan’s Videoland Television. Those stories sound legendary to this day.
“Caron Butler gave me $500 to just go buy a packet of gum — & some sodas. Mountain Dew. You know Mountain Dew? It’s a soda,” Antetokounmpo said.
“When you got to the NBA, what was the craziest thing you saw a teammate do w/ their money?”
“Caron Butler gave me $500 to just go buy a packet of gum—& some sodas. Mountain Dew. You know Mountain Dew? It’s a soda.” @Giannis_An34
“He didn’t ask for change?”
“No.” @Giannis_An34 pic.twitter.com/8YgZGhnoFh
— Dru (@dru_star) December 19, 2025
“He didn’t ask for change?” the interviewer asked with curiosity. The Bucks’ star shook his head. But that wasn’t even the wildest thing he witnessed. The PS4 story just surpassed every little story he shared in that interview.
“I’ve seen other guys, whenever we travel, like we make 40 travels a year, road trip, every road trip, they buy a PS4, and leave it at the hotel. I think it’s $300-$350; it’s like nothing for them. So they buy one, they leave it there. Next road trip, they buy another one and leave it there,” he said.
He bought one too, but only one. Even then, he reportedly felt guilty spending $399 for a gaming item while his family was still struggling in Greece. He later sold the console to then-Bucks assistant coach Nick Van Exel for the same price he paid.
However, his teammates had a type of spending mentality that led to financial problems, and that is why people who have to wait till Christmas to make a $500 purchase are shaking their heads. But Antetokounmpo’s struggle never allowed him to go ballistic with money.
So, from a rookie living on per diem to a two-time MVP and NBA champion, Antetokounmpo stayed grounded because he saw the real struggle through himself while watching teammates spend money freely.
