Giannis Antetokounmpo draws parallels to playing with children amid Jaylen Brown's 'He's a child' comment
Giannis Antetokounmpo was surprised upon learning that Jaylen Brown called the Milwaukee Bucks superstar "a child" after their first-quarter incident. The forward's fake high-five move left the Celtics star miffed and he minced no words when he called out 'The Greek Freak' later on the in postgame press conference.
Responding to a reporter's narration of Brown's presser where he shared his take on the fakeout, Antetokounmpo had a dumbfounded look on his face.
"Oh, that's what he said? He said that I was a child. I thought that I complimented him. But at the same time, this is why I play the game with fun and joy. I surround myself with young people so I can stay young myself. I try to be around my kids a lot, my nieces, and sometimes when I am on the court, I play with stuff like that. But, as I said, I think he's an incredible player, but I am just going to continue to be me."
[Starts 4:40 onwards]
The Bucks went down despite Giannis Antetokounmpo's 43-point blitz that had 13 rebounds. His efforts weren't enough as the rest of the Milwaukee unit were average with their contributions on both ends of the floor.
"It was a joke": Giannis Antetokounmpo clarifies incident with 'incredible" Jaylen Brown after loss to Celtics
The same press conference also saw Giannis Antetokounmpo clarify the incident with Jaylen Brown. He called the incident a joke.
"It was a joke. We're playing basketball. At the same time, you got to have fun while playing it. He's an incredible player."
[Starts 3:20 onwards]
The joke surely didn't sit well with Brown who had earlier offered a more blunt response. Antetokounmpo and the Bucks slipped to 2-8 after the loss to Boston.
Up next, the Bucks host the struggling Toronto Raptors who have begun their season on an equally torrid note. They were blown away 123-103 by the LA Lakers on Sunday. For Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee, this will be a chance to add another win to their column and make their way back to the top 10 as the game against the Raptors marks the first of their NBA Cup fixture this season.
Despite the dour losses, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been a force for the Bucks so far this season averaging 30.1 points, 12.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.8 blocks. Milwaukee are on a two-game losing streak after their win against the Utah Jazz last week.