The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 112-103 last night in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s first game back from an extended absence. And instantly, drama followed him, as a late-game dunk sparked a massive brawl at the end of the game.
According to some new footage leaked by the social media account ‘Legendz’, more details have come out about what was said before and during the incident.
“I’m f**king back, n***a,” Antetokounmpo reportedly yelled at the crowd after hitting multiple dunks during the second quarter of the game. That’s how passionate he reportedly was throughout the game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to action last night after an eight-game absence due to a right calf strain. The Bucks lost six of those eight games and fell to 12-19 before last night’s win.
Therefore, it was his mission to not only announce his return but also spark a fire in his team. Antetokounmpo went for a windmill dunk with 10 seconds left in the game and the Bucks leading 110-103.
An unwritten rule in basketball states that when your opponents stop guarding you and concede defeat to a scoreline, then you do not score anymore. However, in the spirit of competition and the dual objectives mentioned above, Antetokounmpo went for the windmill dunk.
“Don’t do that, bro, don’t do that,” said Nikola Vucevic of the Bulls to Antetokounmpo repeatedly as the clock ran out and the Greek superstar began walking away.
“I don’t care, I don’t care,” Antetokounmpo reportedly said afterwards. Coby White of the Bulls then intervened, which is when Bobby Portis of the Bucks and their other teammates also joined the scuffle. White tried to grab Portis’ neck, and the brawl became much more heated.
Gary Trent Jr. ran from the bench towards Vucevic to defend his teammates. He was seen repeatedly saying, “Are you trying to throw hands? Are you trying to throw hands?” as he proceeded towards Coby White.
Bobby Portis was also reportedly extremely pissed and wanted to punch Coby White.
“Punch that n***a bro, in his face,” Portis reportedly said, as per the video, before the officials and security stepped in to separate the players.
Subsequently, Giannis Antetokounmpo justified his actions with a strong message to the team, while the Bulls players took shots at Giannis.
“I’m assuming Giannis was mad about that report that came out the Bulls didn’t want to trade for him,” said Vucevic after the game in a veiled shot at the trade rumors that claimed the Bulls are not interested in trading for the Greek superstar.
Antetokounmpo returned last night on a minutes restriction. He had 29 points, eight rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block in 25 minutes played against the Bulls. The Bucks improved their record to 13-19 following this win and will face the Hornets on Monday night.
Meanwhile, the Bulls fell to 15-16 for the season and will face the Timberwolves in their next game. It will be interesting to see if the Bucks are able to find fuel for motivation in Antetokounmpo’s return to action.
This loss snapped a five-game win streak for the Bulls. They will also look to bounce back strongly from this defeat.
