Things got a bit testy between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown during the Boston Celtics’ 113–107 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday evening.
In the second quarter, Brown was guarding Antetokounmpo, who backed him down in the paint before attempting to spin for a layup. While rotating, Giannis caught Brown square in the head with his elbow and was whistled for an offensive foul. The two could be seen exchanging some words before jogging down the court.
While running back on defense, Antetokounmpo could be seen reaching his hand out for Brown to shake, seemingly apologizing for the elbow. Just before Brown shook his hand, Giannis pulled it back, hitting the Celtics star with the “too slow” gesture and grinning ear to ear.
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) November 10, 2024
Brown was asked about the incident after the game, and he didn’t appear to find the situation to be very humorous.
“Giannis is a child. I’m just focused on helping my team get a win. And that’s what we did tonight,” said Brown.
JB getting candid about what he thought of Giannis faking him out with a handshake 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/Mm8cOOszAx
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 11, 2024
Giannis was also asked about the exchange after the game, and he had a vastly different perspective on the situation than Brown.
“Oh, that’s what he said? Dang,” said Antetokounmpo, seemingly surprised by Brown’s serious-natured reaction. “We always joke around with the flow of the game. It’s something that I do to my kids, I play around. This is who I am. I play the game with fun, joy.”
#Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo on being called a child postgame by Boston G Jaylen Brown👇
“Oh, that’s what he said? Dang.” pic.twitter.com/aGgE4VLqaR
— 97.3 The Game (@TheGameMKE) November 11, 2024
Despite Boston trailing by 11 at halftime, they were able to turn things around and pick up a win to improve to 9-2. Meanwhile, the Bucks fell to 2-8 in the defeat. Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 43 points while adding 13 rebounds and five assists, though it wasn’t enough to help Milwaukee get back into the win column.
