Giannis Antetokounmpo turned hostile against his own fan base after receiving boos on Tuesday night.
Bucks were blown out at home on January 13, 2026, losing 139–106 to the Timberwolves. The game was almost decided before the break, with Bucks trailing 76–45. As the deficit increased to over 30 points, the crowd became hostile. One particular moment crossed the minimum boundary line, prompting Antetokounmpo to respond with a clear thumbs-down gesture toward the stands.
Safe to say, the Wolves absolutely embarrassed the Bucks after entering the road game without Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert. Being behind 31 points at halftime, a large section of the home crowd couldn’t control themselves and booed as the roster headed to the locker room.
Antetokounmpo saved that in his brain, and early in the third quarter, with about 11 minutes left, he drove for an and-1 layup over Julius Randle. Following the eye-popping score, Antetokounmpo threw a double thumbs-down to the crowd. The camera captured him yelling, looking at the stands.
Giannis booed his OWN fans 👀
Yeah he’s gone 😭 pic.twitter.com/JH6YFY7d2o
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) January 14, 2026
First, the home crowd went against their team, and then the home player went against their people. After the humiliating loss, the two-time MVP later said he always reciprocates boos.
“When I get booed, I boo back,” he told reporters. “I’ve been doing it all season.” He added no one tells him how to act after 13 years as the franchise’s all-time leader in points, rebounds, and more.
Fans React to Giannis Antetokounmpo for Firing Back at Disgruntled Crowd
Social media lit up super fast with many fans calling to say they had earned those boos. The majority blamed Antetokounmpo’s missing effort, who finished the contest scoring 25 with five assists and eight rebounds.
One fan wrote, “Crazy. They deserve to get boo’d and giannis has zero right to be butthurt by that.”
Another added, “No ant no gobert yall getting blown out they should boo yall.”
A third claimed, “Okay and fans can’t boo when your team is getting blown at home? Been happening since dawn of time.”
The fourth shared, “yeah and mad they’re paying to watch ass whoopins……. __ __.”
A fifth fan noted, “Yall ni—- was down 76 ofc they gon boo yall.”
A random X user asked, “Dayum man why he going into villain arc mode .”
Fans were left confused by the gesture. The Bucks were getting blown out, and frustration over the sloppy play was already showing in the stands. With Milwaukee sitting at 17–23, the tension around the team is hard to ignore.
