Bucks' Bobby Portis Offers Blunt Take on Giannis Antetokounmpo Potential Coaching Career

The Sixth Man of the Year contender weighs in on a possible coaching future for the two-time MVP.

Dec 27, 2023; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) slaps hands with forward Bobby Portis (9) during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Perennial Sixth Man of the Year contender Bobby Portis recently weighed in on a possible coaching future for his longtime Milwaukee Bucks teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time league MVP.

When asked by Michelle Beadle on FanDuel TV's "Run It Back" what he thought of a potential Antetokounmpo head coaching career.

"I’m calling cap, man," Portis joked, essentially suggesting his eight-time All-NBA teammate was never going to stalk the sidelines in such a capacity. "I’m calling cap right now, man. I’m just calling cap, man, he’s just talking. Giannis knows how to get the media going, he knows how to circulate all these different type of things. I’m calling cap, man."

Portis then referenced a superstar who has been relatively quiet in retirement when explaining his anticipated trajectory for Antetokounmpo once he hangs up his sneakers for good.

"He gonna be somewhere in Greece with all his 100 kids he gonna have and they gonna be chilling," Portis said. "He gonna be on some Tim Duncan like, ‘where is Tim Duncan at? We don’t see Tim Duncan, we ain’t gonna see Giannis’... He gonna be in Greece somewhere, man."

Duncan, himself a two-time league MVP (and five-time league champion) who enjoyed a 19-year Hall of Fame career with the San Antonio Spurs before retiring in 2016, did actually briefly explore coaching opportunites with his alma mater. He served as an assistant on Hall of Fame head coach Gregg Popovich's staff during the 2019-20 season, before stepping away again.

Antetokounmpo, who just turned 30 earlier this month, is currently in the midst of his 12th NBA season, but has shown little sign of slowing down just yet. For the 16-12 Bucks (who have gone 14-4 since a confounding 2-8 season start), the 6-foot-11 big man is averaging a career-most 32.7 points on 61.3 percent shooting from the floor and 61.4 percent shooting from the foul line, plus 11.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.5 blocks and 0.7 steals. He's finished among the top seven in MVP voting since the 2016-17 season, twice winning the honor.

Antetokounmpo, a five-time All-Defensive Teamer, also won Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2020. Last year, he finished fourth in MVP voting. Antetokounmpo seems likely to notch another top-five finish in 2024-25, assuming his health holds up — he's been dealing with back spasms of late, which forced him to miss the team's dominant 112-91 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Monday, the team's most recent game.

Portis, who started for Antetokounmpo, logged a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double in the effort. The 6-foot-10 Arkansas product is vying to win his first-ever Sixth Man of the Year honor, hot on the heels of a pair of top-three finishes for the award across the last two seasons. More efforts like what he did on Monday could go a long way towards swaying the appropriate parties.

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