Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is usually a pretty nice guy. In the media, with the fans, and even during games, he’s a lovable guy that’s known for being hard to hate.
This week, however, Giannis finds himself in one of the biggest controversies of his career. The whole thing started during the game vs. Philadelphia when Giannis went 4-15 from the free-throw line. After taking the L, Giannis decided to practice his free throws for a few minutes as everyone was clearing out.
Eventually, 76ers players and staffers tried blocking Giannis from shooting on their court and it became a whole scene that ended with Giannis pushing down a ladder that was under the rim he was trying to shoot on.
He did later go on to explain why he pushed the ladder over:
Per The Athletic, who was able to capture the entire sequence of events, Harrell minced no words while expressing his displeasure.
“This Isn’t F***ing Milwaukee. Get that s**t out of there.”
That did well in terms of explaining Giannis’ actions, but many were wondering about the intention of the 76ers workers and whether or not they put the ladder out to intention disrupt Giannis.
According to the following statement from Sixers beat writer Austin Krell, that’s not the case at all.
76ers Beat Writer Reveals Honest Reason Why Team Staffers Raised The Ladders
Apparently, the ladders were only brought out to take the cameras down and change the court for tonight’s city edition game against the Timberwolves.
In an effort to correct some of the messaging circulating, my understanding is that the ladders are raised to get the cameras off the backboard and that it’s standard procedure to raise ladders at the baskets after Sixers games in preparation for changing the court out.
The Sixers were changing the court out after the game because tonight will be a City Edition uniform game, according to someone familiar with the matter. The staffer didn’t position the ladder at the basket simply to inhibit Giannis Antetokounmpo, as some have posited.
The Sixers were changing the court out after the game because tonight will be a City Edition uniform game, according to someone familiar with the matter.
The staffer didn’t position the ladder at the basket simply to inhibit Giannis Antetokounmpo, as some have posited.
— Austin Krell (@NBAKrell) November 19, 2022
NBA arenas are rather notorious for how much work it takes to change the floor. For some teams, their arenas host multiple sports that all have a different ground to play on and it’s the job of the arena workers to get in there and get it all done in time.
No doubt, there were better ways for both parties to respond to this situation, but it doesn’t seem like the 76ers had any ill will initially. It’s just an unfortunate situation that escalated beyond anyone’s control.
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