Giannis Antetokounmpo is now a shareholder of Kalshi.
Not everyone is happy about it.
The Bucks’ star announced a partnership with the fast-growing prediction market Friday to much fanfare.
“Everyone is Online. The internet is full of opinions. I decided it was time to make some of my own,” Antetokounmpo wrote in a post on social media. “Today, I’m joining Kalshi as a shareholder.”
Antetokounmpo’s newest business venture comes just days after the Bucks held onto the two-time NBA MVP through the trade deadline — and Kalshi offered such a betting market.
In the days leading up to the Feb. 5 cutoff, Antetokounmpo’s name was the biggest name on the market, and it appeared at times that he would force a trade out of Milwaukee.
Instead, he stayed put, and gave some mixed signals on social media after it was clear he was staying with the Bucks, posting a clip on both Instagram and X accounts from “The Wolf of Wall Street,” where Leonardo DiCaprio shouts, “I’m not f–king leaving. The show goes on. This is my home. They’re gonna need a f–king wrecking ball to take me outta here.”
“Legends don’t chase. They attract,” the post’s caption reads, despite the superstar seemingly nudging the team for a trade.
As trade rumors swirled, more than $23 million was put down speculating on Antetokounmpo’s future at Kalshi.
On a market title “Giannis Antetokounmpo’s next team?”, his chances to stay in Milwaukee were below 30 percent at times in December.
As recently as Feb. 3, two days before the deadline, Antetokounmpo was around just 38 percent to remain with the Bucks.
Those who bought the rumors got burned, and although there’s no proof or indication Antetokounmpo did anything dishonest, the perception set off an outcry.
“A player in massive trade rumors owning part of a prediction market where people can bet on whether he gets traded is a MASSIVE conflict of interest,” sports journalist Joon Lee, who has reported extensively on sports betting and prediction markets, wrote on X. “This is so far beyond players doing sportsbook ads.”
“Announcing a partnership with a prediction market after weeks of creating trade speculation is certainly a choice,” X user @InvertTheWing wrote on the platform.
Antetokounmpo’s stake is less than 1 percent of the company, according to The Block, meaning he is below the threshold set under the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement for partnerships with betting and prediction market companies.
He is also “forbidden from trading on any NBA markets and markets involving him personally,” per the outlet.
“A lot of what you’re seeing on X is conspiracy theory, not facts,” Kalshi told The Block’s Zack Abrams.
Kalshi said Antetokounmpo is the first basketball star to join the company as a shareholder. The partnership includes help with live events and marketing.
Outrage aside, Kalshi brass was thrilled to bring in the larger-than-life NBA star.
“Giannis is a legend,” CEO Tarek Mansour said in a press release. “He’s exactly the type of long-term partner we want to align our growing brand with, and we couldn’t be happier he’s on board.”