Just a while ago, the Milwaukee Bucks were hit with the news that Doc Rivers would not be returning as head coach after he announced he would step away.
Now, not long after that, the Bucks have officially named Taylor Jenkins as their new head coach. Things seemed to be moving forward until a report dropped that got everyone talking.
Bobby Portis’ Recent Reaction to a Shams Charania Report
ESPN’s Shams Charania put out a report which claimed that Giannis Antetokounmpo had no involvement in the hiring of Jenkins.
“I’m not aware of any involvement from Giannis in the search process. This was something that the Bucks genuinely led, feeling like Taylor Jenkins was their guy.”
“This was the best coach under any circumstances, and he has shown that throughout his coaching career. We know that the Bucks have hard decisions to make across this offseason, and that starts with a guy like Giannis Antetokounmpo,” Charania reported.
Antetokounmpo has been a Buck for 13 seasons. He is the face of the franchise, the man who brought them their 2021 NBA Championship. He won back-to-back league MVP awards in 2019 and 2020.
So, the idea that someone of his stature had no say in who the new head coach would be? That’s hard to swallow. When the report came up during a recent episode of the ‘Run It Back’ show, the whole panel giggled.
Co-host Michelle Beadle brought up Charania’s report on the show, and the guest that day happened to be none other than Bobby Portis, who is the Greek Freak’s own teammate. When Portis heard the report, he said, “I don’t think it’s true.”
Bobby Portis on Shams’ report that Giannis wasn’t involved in the Bucks head coach hiring:
“I don’t think it’s true.”
👀😂@BPortistime | @MichelleDBeadle | @ChandlerParsons | @TeamLou23 pic.twitter.com/Ul8ig1tpjS
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) April 24, 2026
There’s been a bit of a running tension between Charania and Antetokounmpo for a while now. Over the past year or so, Charania has published multiple reports suggesting that Antetokounmpo might leave the Bucks for another team. None of those reports has led anywhere, and it seems like the Bucks star has grown tired of it.
At one point, Antetokounmpo took to X and wrote, “Does anyone else miss Woj?” It was a clear nod to retired NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski. Whether it was fully serious or just a joke, the message was pretty clear that he’s not exactly a fan of how Charania handles things.
The tension carried into the 2026 NBA All-Star weekend, too. During the Celebrity All-Star Game, Antetokounmpo was coaching one of the teams. Before tip-off, Antetokounmpo was asked what he thought of Charania’s basketball skills. The Greek Freak didn’t hold back, and he said plainly that Charania just isn’t good at basketball.
“You know why it’s not fair? Because I have Shams on my team. He cannot hoop. But, everybody else can hoop,” Antetokounmpo said during an interview.
Now, moments like these suggest that there might be more than just disagreement over reports. Whether it’s frustration or just playful jabs, the back-and-forth has become noticeable.
