Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks had an early exit from the postseason after getting eliminated by the Pacers. In the 4-2 series loss, Giannis was only able to watch his team crumble from the sidelines due to his calf injury picked up in April’s game vs the Celtics.

Giannis Antetokounmpo congratulates Erling Haaland

But his own setback doesn’t mean the Greek Freak won’t be able to celebrate the success of his close ones. Norwegian soccer star Erling Haaland was one of those close ones who recently tasted success with his club side Manchester City. The Citizens won their 4th straight English Premier League title, the top prize in the English soccer game, and Giannis didn’t wait to congratulate his Scandinavian buddy.

“This is Giannis here. Erling, I just want to say congratulations on another amazing season. You’ve been incredible winning the Premier League again. Also winning the Golden Boot, that’s unbelievable. Keep on, keep on, keep on getting better,” said Antetokounmpo after receiving a pair of Nike boots from the striker. He further added, “I love the mentality that you have. You always go out there and try to do whatever is best for your team to win. And I just love watching you play.”

Giannis is no stranger to soccer as he has his own soccer team, the Nashville FC of the Major League Soccer, which he and his brothers are part-owners of. He was previously also spotted doing Cristiano Ronaldo’s signature celly “Siu” during a game between Nashville and Inter Miami.

The two-time NBA MVP and Haaland also share a history between them and their friendly complements and the “Erling Haaland Force9” shoe gifts are the result of that.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Erling Haaland’s Friendship

The two top stars of their respective games have been friends for a good chunk of a year now. They also featured in an ad for the Breitling watch’s Navitimer series. Haaland joined the brand last year as an ambassador, while Giannis has been with the Swiss watchmakers since 2022.

Giannis is not the only one getting the benefits of his friendship with Haaland though; at the back-end of last year, the 2021 NBA champion also sent a pair of his signature shoes to Haaland. “Thank you so much my friend, I will be wearing these,” said the 2-time EPL winner in a video on social media after unboxing the gift from Giannis.

While his friend is enjoying his success with his club side, Giannis will have to spend another year without a championship. Since their last win in 2021, the Bucks have failed to reclaim the title and, with the addition of Damian Lillard, the franchise had hopes of winning it again this season, but those hopes evaporated in the first round after a strong 3rd seeded finish.

Apart from exchanging boots, Giannis just might want to have a bit of Halaand’s championship luck next time to add a second trophy to his cabinet as the 29-year-old is fully focused on recovery ahead of next season.