KOSTAS Antetokounmpo’s NBA journey has seemingly come to an end, at least for the time being.

The younger brother of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is reportedly returning to Greece to play for Panathinaikos.

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Kostas Antetokounmpo is moving back to Greece having signed a two-year deal with PanathinaikosCredit: Getty

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Kostas (left) was the first of the Antetokounmpo brothers to win an NBA championshipCredit: Getty
Kostas was the first of the four Antetokounmpo brothers to win an NBA championship, triumphing with the Los Angeles Lakers in the Orlando bubble in 2020.

But individually, he has been nowhere near as successful as Giannis – a two-time MVP and seven-time All-Star who led the Bucks to the title in 2021.

Just like his older brother, Kostas took his first steps in basketball at Filathlitikos in Greece’s third tier.

But unlike the Bucks star, the 6-foot-10 forward played college basketball in the US before declaring for the NBA draft.

Kostas averaged 5.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 29 games for Dayton in 2017-18.

The Dallas Mavericks then selected the Greek with the last pick of the 2018 NBA Draft.

Kostas spent most of his rookie season in the G League though, playing for Dallas’ affiliate team – the Texas Legends.

The same fate awaited him after signing with the Lakers the next year as the forward made 37 appearances for the South Bay Lakers to start off the 2019-20 campaign.

Then, the Covid-19 pandemic brought the NBA – as well as the entire world – to a screeching halt.

When the league resumed in the Orlando bubble, it let the invited teams bring expanded rosters with them.

The rule change allowed Kostas to join the title-bound Lakers, earning him a championship ring even though he didn’t play a single minute in the playoffs.

Kostas made just 15 appearances for the Lakers the following season – and has played mostly in Europe since then in addition to a short spell with the Windy City Bulls in the G League

He won the French league title with ASVEL alongside Victor Wembanyama in 2021-22.

Most recently, he competed in Turkey and the EuroLeague for Fenerbahce.

Kostas will be back in Europe for the foreseeable future having reportedly signed a two-year deal with Panathinaikos.

And he will face huge expectations back at home.

Panathinaikos has lost back-to-back titles to bitter-rival Olympiakos, causing their fans to hurl smoke bombs on the court with the Antetokounmpo brothers in the stands last June.

Anything other than the 40th championship will likely be deemed as a failure for the Athens-based team.