Ask any sports fan older than 25 about their favorite basketball player, and you’ll likely get some sort of historical comparison.
Devin Booker? Probably the closest player to Kobe Bryant there has ever been. Luka Doncic? His transcendent passing and non-stop trash-talking make him Larry Bird 2.0. Ja Morant? Comparisons to the early years of Michael Jordan are actually apt for him.
But there is one player who defies all historical comparisons, and that’s NBA champion, Finals MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and two-time regular season MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
He simply has no comparisons, which is why the “Greek Freak” nickname is so well-suited to him. He is, by all measures, a genuine freak of nature. A 7-footer who can basically play all five positions on a basketball court? That’s unheard of.
But if there is one glaring weakness in Antetokounmpo’s game, it’s his free throw and three-point shooting. For his career, Antetokounmpo has shot 29 percent from beyond the arc and 71 percent at the charity stripe. Both marks are below the league average this year. Antetokounmpo has struggled mightily from the free throw line the last two games, shooting a combined 8 for 26.
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So nobody could blame Antetokounmpo for wanting to practice some free throws after his Milwaukee Bucks lost 110-102 to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night. After all, it’s his job to be the best player he can be.
There was just one problem — workers at the Wells Fargo Center (home of the Sixers) needed to do their jobs and start dismantling the court.
Unfortunately for the typically affable and jovial Antetokounmpo, the entire ordeal was caught on camera:
Giannis throwing down the ladder and disrespecting the employees of @WellsFargoCtr after losing to the @sixers. pic.twitter.com/DBrRu1nq7K
— Dennis Moore (@dem389) November 19, 2022
Antetokounmpo appeared to take issue with workers putting a ladder in front of the rim while he was trying to shoot, and he forcibly moved it, causing the ladder to crash down. Suffice it to say it wasn’t a good look for a player who is all but primed to become the face of the league with LeBron James’ star and playoff hopes dwindling.
When Antetokounmpo spoke to ESPN about the incident, he essentially deflected all blame.
“I don’t know if I should apologize because I don’t feel like I did anything wrong, except the ladder just fell,” Antetokounmpo said. “I feel like it’s my right for me to work on my skills after a horrible night at the free throw line.”
Emotions were running high on Friday even before the incident in question. Sixers star Joel Embiid was called for a flagrant foul after he appeared to throw an elbow into Antetokounmpo’s midsection:
Joel Embiid was called for a flagrant foul after this hit on Giannis 👀 pic.twitter.com/o4ACRAb1ch
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) November 19, 2022
That foul riled up Antetokounmpo’s teammate Bobby Portis, who didn’t appear to be particularly receptive to whatever explanation Embiid was peddling after the game:
Reason number 3,000 Bobby Portis is a real one
Embiid tries to talk to him after the game about the Giannis play (I assume). Says “I promise you!” multiple times. Bobby wasn’t having it. #Bucks #FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/y6vVlFR56O
— Tony Clements (@TonyCMKE) November 19, 2022
Worth noting: Portis once broke the jaw of his own teammate in a fight during practice, so he’s not someone to take lightly.
With those emotions still running high after the final buzzer sounded, Antetokounmpo opted to practice his free throw shooting. When Antetokounmpo refused to leave, Sixers reserve big man Montrezl Harrell channeled his inner 5-year-old and took Antetokounmpo’s ball:
Montrezl Harrell takes the ball from Giannis and tells him to GTFOH after Sixers beat Bucks 110-102 in Philly 👀#nba #nbabasketball #sixers #bucks #philly #giannisantetokounmpo #giannis #fyp #viral pic.twitter.com/RHFDPg55lD
— Psychotic & Iconic Sports Podcast (@Psycho_Ico_Pod) November 19, 2022
Harrell had another heated exchange with Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Giannis’ older brother and Bucks teammate:
Warning: The following video includes language some viewers will find offensive.
Trezz vs Thanasis pic.twitter.com/SvdMh6byzg
— Ahn Fire Digital (@AhnFireDigital) November 19, 2022
Giannis got spare basketballs to continue practicing his free throws. That’s when the ladder incident took place.
Unfortunately for NBA fans, while all this simmering bad blood will undoubtedly make for appointment viewing, the Bucks and Sixers do not play again until March 4.
