Giannis Antetokounmpo’s first real wildlife lesson in Miami came fast.
The new Heat star took to Instagram on Friday to show that an iguana had wandered into his home, and the whole scene turned into a family comedy routine. Antetokounmpo and his sons watched the reptile from behind a door, with Giannis jokingly alarming his kids by saying he was about to open it.
The iguana eventually moved to another part of the house, and one of Antetokounmpo’s sons asked why his dad wasn’t the one going after it. That led to one of the funniest exchanges from the clip.
“Me?” Antetokounmpo asked.
“No way I’m not going out there. Why don’t you get it?
You go get it.”
He then checked whether his son was scared, and when the boy said no, Giannis admitted the truth.
“I’m scared,” Antetokounmpo said. “… Get out of my backyard!”
The message didn’t exactly solve the problem. Antetokounmpo said they needed an exterminator, and at one point a ball was thrown at the iguana - something the new Miami Heat superstar clearly didn’t appreciate. The whole thing played like pure chaos.
Antetokounmpo had already been warned this was part of life in South Florida. On the day he was introduced as a Heat player, he said he doesn’t like iguanas. Later, in an interview with Brendan Tobin, he got another reminder of what he was walking into.
“I want to get you used to this because it’s crazy down here in South Florida, all right, man,” Tobin said.
Tobin then showed Antetokounmpo a picture of him holding an iguana, which prompted Giannis to ask why he would do that.
“Because you have to, dude,” Tobin said. “As part of Florida, you have to like get the reptiles under control.”
Antetokounmpo asked whether the iguana was in the street or in Tobin’s house, and after being told it had been inside the home, he was informed that these animals are everywhere and can take over the yard if they aren’t handled. Giannis, sounding only partly joking, said he might have to request a trade because of the threat.
The 31-year-old got his first real taste of that reality on Friday, and he’ll likely see plenty more. He reportedly bought a $13.5 million mansion in Pinecrest, South Florida, a place that measures approximately 12,000 square feet, so he’s settled in for the long haul.
Miami went all-in to get him this summer, sending Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, Nate Ament, two first-round picks, one pick swap, and one second-round pick to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Antetokounmpo, who averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game in 2025-26, remains one of the league’s biggest stars, and the Heat are hoping he can deliver exactly what they traded for.
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Spoelstras message is the kind of thing fans in Miami tend to appreciate because it fits the organizations long-running chip-on-the-shoulder identity. Rather than pushing back against the narrative, he wants to use it, treating the underdog label as fuel while the Heat get set for camp. The bigger question now is how that mindset translates once the games begin and the attention shifts from the story line to the roster itself. [Read more 🡒]
Giannis Is Settling In As Heat Fans Dream Bigger Than Ever
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Miamis offseason did more than just bring in Giannis, either. The Heat also added Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr. in free agency, giving the roster a different look and more proven scoring around its newest star. For Heat fans, the larger question now is how quickly all of it comes together once the season starts and the expectations stop being theoretical. [Read more 🡒]