Watch: Giannis Antetokounmpo hits Ronaldo’s ‘SIU’ celebration in front of Inter Miami fans
Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA MVP and one-time NBA champion, is arguably the best player in the league and is an athletic freak. On Sunday, he enthralled Inter Miami fans with Cristiano Ronaldo's iconic SIU celebration.
Antetokounmpo recently became a part-owner at MLS club Nashville SC. His team has had success this season, losing on penalties to an Inter Miami team featuring Lionel Messi in the Leagues Cup final on Saturday (August 19).
Before the game, Antetokounmpo was excited and broke out the iconic Ronaldo's "SIU' celebration. Although in good spirits, it appeared to be a direct challenge to Messi.
Here's the video:
Antetokounmpo does have a lot of respect for Messi, though, and recognizes him as one of the greatest players. Here's what Antetokounmpo said about Messi before the game:
"It's gonna be the first time I'm rooting against Messi. I expect both teams to play at a high level, but at the end of the day. ... When I was playing in the NBA Finals two years ago, I enjoyed every single minute.
Antetokounmpo continued:
"You can never have this moment back. You can never take it for granted. You never know if you're going to be here again at this stage, so, playing a final game against one of the greatest players to ever play this game, I know that our guys are going to come out, play hard, play together and try to get a win."
Unfortunately for Antetokounmpo, his team, Nashville SC, lost 10-9 to Inter Miami on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
Here's Antetokounmpo's message to his Nashville team after the tough loss:
Nashville SC will be back next year, and the former NBA champion Giannis Antetokounmpo will hope that the result will be different.
When did Giannis Antetokounmpo become a part owner of Nashville SC?
On Mar. 2, 2023, Nashville SC announced that Giannis Antetokounmpo became a part-owner of the club.
Antetokounmpo was joined by his brothers, Thanasis, Kostas and Alex Antetokounmpo. All the brothers are professional basketball players, with Thanasis playing for the Bucks.
Giannis described how owning a soccer team has always been a dream of his given that his father Charles was a professional soccer player in Nigeria and Germany. Here's what Giannis Antetokounmpo had to say:
“My father was a professional soccer player, and it was the first sport I fell in love with in Greece. I’ve always had the dream of owning a soccer team.
"When my brothers and I explored Nashville SC, we knew it was a team and a city that we wanted to get involved with. I couldn’t be more excited to join the Boys in Gold."
In their first year of ownership, Nashville reached the Leagues Cup final, which will be a positive takeaway for the Antetokounmpo brothers.