MILWAUKEE — After Giannis Antetokounmpo fouled Jaylen Brown with an elbow to the face Sunday, the Bucks star offered Brown a handshake. Antetokounmpo was called for the offensive foul, so it looked like an apology for the hard foul. But Antetokounmpo ended up hitting Brown with a “sike” and withdrew his hand at the last second.
After the game, Brown didn‘t seem to enjoy Antetokounmpo’s playful act as he called out the Bucks star by describing him as a “child.” When asked about Brown‘s comments afterwards, Antetokounmpo sounded surprised the Celtics star didn‘t enjoy the act. Antetokounmpo explained his actions some more, saying he’s always going to have fun on the court.
“This is who I am,” Antetokounmpo said after the C’s beat the Bucks. “I play the game with fun and joy. I surround myself with young people so I can stay young myself. Be around my kids a lot, my nieces. But at the end of the day, I think he‘s an incredible player. He always does the right thing to help his team win. But I‘m just going to continue to be me.
- BETTING: Check out our MA sports betting guide, where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.
“At the end of the day, if I‘m called a child, so be it. I have three (children) of my own and I think six nieces. So take care of a lot of kids of my own around here. Sometimes when you‘re around the kids, you start to act like it. It‘s fun. It‘s fun to be around them. So I just try to go out there and have fun. … If I have another opportunity, I’ll do it.”
Now, the timing wasn‘t great. Brown’s face probably hurt considering he caught an elbow to the face. Plus, it was a tightly-contested game between the Celtics and a desperate Bucks team looking to pick up some wins. Brown fouled Antetokounmpo hard midway through the fourth quarter, which was upgraded to a flagrant 1 foul after review in what ended up being a chippy game.
The interaction was a small subplot the Celtics’ win over the Bucks on Sunday. The Bucks were red-hot in the first quarter, scoring 40 points as they built up a 17-point lead in the first half. But the C’s stormed back in the road win, holding the Bucks to just 38 points in the second half. Antetokounmpo was his All-NBA self as he put up 43 points and 13 rebounds, though it was again not enough in a losing Milwaukee effort.
Based on his comments, it sounds like Antetokounmpo didn‘t mean much harm with the whole fake-out. But Brown being annoyed by the antics after getting hit in the face also isn’t a surprise. Brown also complimented Antetokounmpo after another big game, which was also reciprocated by the Bucks star.
“It‘s a joke,” Antetokounmpo said. “We‘re playing basketball. At the same time, you got to have fun. I think he‘s an incredible player. He does whatever he can to help his team win. Extremely competitive player. Played against him any times. I think we always kind of joke around within the flow of the game. It’s something I do with my kids. I play around.”
