Is Giannis Antetokounmpo an Arsenal fan?
Yes. In his own words, Giannis Antetokounmpo is an Arsenal fan.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Full fan file: every team he roots for, with receipts
“My favourite team used to be Arsenal and my favourite player used to be Thierry Henry. I am an Arsenal fan but I like PSG when Zlatan Ibrahimovic was here on the team. Deep down I am still an Arsenal fan”
Goal, August 4, 2023. Backed by Republic World (2020).
Later: “Back in the day Arsenal. Now probably Real Madrid.” Goal, May 18, 2025. original
Last checked November 4, 2026: the quote still matched the page word for word.
What has Giannis Antetokounmpo said about Arsenal?
Giannis Antetokounmpo said it plainly in an interview with Goal published on August 4, 2023: "My favourite team used to be Arsenal and my favourite player used to be Thierry Henry. I am an Arsenal fan but I like PSG when Zlatan Ibrahimovic was here on the team. Deep down I am still an Arsenal fan". He spoke of both the club and Henry in the past tense, but the sentence still ends on the present: he is still an Arsenal fan deep down.
Did Giannis Antetokounmpo grow up an Arsenal fan?
He did. Antetokounmpo was born in Athens, Greece, on December 6, 1994, and grew up in the Athens neighborhood of Sepolia in a primarily Nigerian household. Arsenal is a Premier League club based in London, so the allegiance was not a local one. It reads as a childhood team picked from abroad, not a hometown tie. Republic World backed that up in January 2020, writing that "he used to support Premier League club Arsenal as a kid."
When did Giannis Antetokounmpo become an Arsenal fan?
The sourcing gives no specific year or moment for when the fandom began, only that it dates to his childhood. Nothing in it says what drew him to the club beyond his naming Thierry Henry as his favourite player. Republic World reported in January 2020 that he "used to support Premier League club Arsenal as a kid," and his Goal interview in August 2023 shows the fandom had not gone away: "Deep down I am still an Arsenal fan."
Did Giannis Antetokounmpo's allegiance change later?
In another Goal interview, published on May 18, 2025, he said: "Back in the day Arsenal. Now probably Real Madrid." That is a later line from him, but it is not an end to the Arsenal fandom. It adds a newer team without retracting what he said in 2023, and Real Madrid is itself only reported as one of his other teams. Alongside it, he is reported to follow the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers.
His career has stayed on the basketball side. He played for Filathlitikos from 2011 to 2013, was drafted 15th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2013, played for them through 2026, and has been with the Miami Heat since.
Which other athletes are Arsenal fans?
Three other players are tied to Arsenal. Joel Embiid has said so in his own words, while Dirk Nowitzki and Jaylen Brown are reported to be fans.
Questions people ask
Is Giannis Antetokounmpo an Arsenal fan?
Yes, by his own account. He told Goal in 2023, "Deep down I am still an Arsenal fan."
Does Giannis Antetokounmpo like Arsenal?
He has described Arsenal as his favourite team from his youth and said in 2023 that he is still a fan deep down. In May 2025 he told Goal "Back in the day Arsenal. Now probably Real Madrid," which adds a newer team without ending the Arsenal fandom.
Which other athletes are Arsenal fans?
Joel Embiid has said he is one, and Dirk Nowitzki and Jaylen Brown are reported to be.