The Milwaukee Bucks were run off the floor by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, losing 139-106 at Fiserv Forum. 

The Bucks trailed 76-45 at halftime, prompting the Milwaukee crowd to boo the hometown team as they headed back to the locker room. 

One minute into the third quarter, Giannis drew an and-one and gave two thumbs down while yelling "Boo!" in response to the crowd booing the team before the half. 

Giannis has done a similar gesture and taunt on the road when he has been booed by opposing fans. 

After the game, Giannis was asked about being booed at home. 

After initially trying to recall if it's happened before, being booed in Milwaukee, he said, "It doesn't matter. I thrive through adversity. I thrive when people don't believe in me. It doesn't matter if I'm on the road, if I'm at home, if I'm at my family dinner, practicing with my teammates. It doesn't really matter. I've never been part of something like that before. It's something new for me. I like it, though. I love it."

Giannis reiterated that he was 100% booing back, and not in a sarcastic manner. He also said that when people don't believe in him, he tends to be against them. 

Giannis gave more insight into his mindset by saying, "I don't think it's fair, but everyone has their opinion to do what they want to do. I'm not going to tell them what to do or how they should act when we don't play hard or when we lose games or if we're not where we're supposed to be, and I don't think anybody has the right to tell me how I should act on the basketball court after I've been here 13 years and I'm basically the all-time leader in everything."

The Milwaukee Bucks entered the 2025-26 season in a bit of flux with Giannis trade rumors swirling, Damian Lillard being waived and stretched by the team, and a roster that had a number of question marks. 

The Bucks started the season 4-1, but went 4-7 over the next stretch to put their record at 8-8. They have not been .500 on the season since, thanks to a seven-game losing streak and an eight-game road losing streak. 

The low point may have come on Tuesday against the Timberwolves, who were without Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert. 

Giannis has said that he will never ask for a trade out of Milwaukee, but he's also expressed his desire to compete for a championship.

At 17-23, the Bucks are only a game and a half out of the final play-in spot, but given their play on the year, it's hard to imagine the group being competitive once the playoffs begin. 

He's the franchise leader in games, minutes played, points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and a number of other categories. He led the franchise to its first championship since 1971 and is still viewed as a top-five player in the league.